COH Vigilantes
by Xury
Summary: The Vigilantes, an intergalactic jackofalltrades group who chases the Rikti invaders to Paragon City. Join the cast as they battle the many villains of Paragon City, with the many players of CoH. Chapter 10, Rough draft ready. Read Profile for Info.
1. Chapter 1 In Persuit of the Rikti

**COH: Vigilantes**

Chapter 1: In Pursuit of the Rikti.

"We've found them," said Danyel as he looked up at Cherry from the long-range radar. "They've landed on a planet in the Terrain sector, Earth IV."

Captain Cherry of the Vigilantes looked back and nodded. "Set a course then, warp 4," she said to her sister, and pilot, Valentine. "Estimated time till arrival?"

"About 2 hours," said Valentine.

"Make it so," said Cherry.

Cherry and her crew formed a popular galactic jack-of-all-trades group known far and wide across the galaxy. They've been involved in anything from planetary defense, to playing music in bar mitzvahs.

Aboard the starship 'Nimrod', they travel the galaxy doing all sorts of heroic deeds, as long as the price is right. Cherry doesn't usually like to use the term 'heroic deeds, because heroes don't charge cash like she does. In fact heroes don't usually add hidden charges either.

But right now, this was personal. She knew the Rikti were no good, but she never imagined they'd pull a surprise attack on her homeworld, Matronia. Matronia is one of the biggest empires in the known galaxy, and with a clever plan, the Rikti tried to take them apart by attacking Amram, the capital city.

No one knew where the Rikti came from, but when the ships landed, thousands of Rikti came pouring into the star ports, taking the people completely off guard. No one was alerted until they had gotten deep within the capital, and went after the Grand Patriarch himself.

The Grand Patriarch is the ruler of all Matronia, and his word is law. And in Cherry's opinion he's a complete asshole, who she has the unfortunate pleasure of being related to.

While in the area, the Vigilantes had intercepted a message from Matronia, saying the capital was under attack from unknown invaders. Cherry, who happens to care about her homeworld, went off course and back to Matronia. They had arrived an hour later, to find chaos in the streets of Amram. She first went to the Palace of Life to find Rikti already inside. After a long battle inside, the Vigilantes were able to secure the palace, and saved the Patriarch's life more than once.

Matronia was able to drive the invaders out. The Rikti used teleport systems to recall their remainder units. In the end the Patriarch thanked the valiant efforts of the Matronian army, and told the Vigilantes he never asked for their help, because they didn't need help from such a pathetic group.

After a long and heated argument between the Patriarch and Cherry, he thanked them for saving his life by allowing them to leave the palace alive, and with all their pieces intact.

Still, Cherry loves her country, but hates her grandfather. Which brings them to their pursuit of the fleeing Rikti.

"Hey sis," said Danyel.

"Humm?" said Cherry.

"I'm picking up another signal, a distress signal. It's coded in Rikti format. It's the standard auto signal that a downed ship uses when it's in need of assistance, and it's coming from the planet."

"Meaning that a Rikti ship must have crashed there some time ago. And either they haven't turned off the auto signal, or don't know how."

Cherry smiled and said," I'm sure they don't know how. Do any of you guys know how to turn off ours? No? There you have it. Regina, can you give us any info on the planet?"

"I'm on it," said Regina as she typed on her computer. "Tylar sent me the info, just now. It's a size 3, habitable, population over 4 billion, and technology level at around the equivalent of Matronian star date 500."

"I see, so we'd best try not to upset the locals with a battle on the surface."

"I'm also seeing something many other signatures. It seems that we're not the only outsiders here."

"You're right, I've sensed many psionic signatures as well. It seems as though we're not the only ones here with the gift."

Cherry is a very powerful Psion like her mother. Her mother is a psion who can manipulate energy around her, and Cherry is a telepath psion. Telepaths channel into the minds of others, and can also move matter with their minds. Cherry's power allows her to dominate her foes and bend them to her will. She has also grown powerful enough to lift her opponents into the air and toss them like rag dolls. So far, she's been able to lift and throw things the size and weight of a minivan.

Cherry was supposedly supposed to have very little psi power. Before she was born, her mother was unknowingly exposed to a strange material called Tristadekium. The raw material reacts in different ways when exposed to anyone psionic. In Cherry's case, it caused a genetic mutation, which amplified her powers greatly, but with some odd side effects. She ended up being 4'11, which is odd because typically Matronians are very tall. Even the shortest Matronian known stands at 5'10. She has tan, Hispanic-looking skin like her father, natural red bangs with short, bobbed black hair. Her eyes are 2 colors, silver and dark green.

"It also says many magical and arcane items originated from this planet as well."

Danyel looks up at her and says," What? Magical gifted as well?"

"So it seems."

"I suppose if the flow of Mana comes here, there should be many wizards as well. Might be worth visiting then. It may be interesting to exchange information with a new group of wizards."

Danyel, like Cherry, is gifted but with the gift of Magic. Physically, they were told if Cherry was her normal height before the genetic damage, she would be as tall as Danyel, 5'8. Danyel has short, messy, jet-black hair, but is fair skinned like his mother. Cherry notes he has the Psionic gift as well, but he had told her that psionics are for 'mental' folks like her.

Danyel has already mastered all kinds of magic, from the elements, transfiguration, curses, and alchemy. He also posses unique ability to create magical items. This is unique because tampering with potions, and other various items leads to short lifespan of wizards who think they know what they're doing. Danyel's favorite famous last words are," Don't tell me how to do my job, I know what I'm doing."

His abilities made him one of the highest-ranking wizards in the Universal Arcane Society. He was very glad to accept the post, meaning he could finally leave the Galactic Arcane Youths. He was young then, but he hated wearing the uniform because they had to wear a colorful emblem that sported the acronym.

"The whole point though," said Cherry. "Is to pay these Rikti bastards back for what they've done, and get back what they stole from us."

"Yea I know. But we definitely need to check this out afterwards."

"After we clear out the Rikti, we will. Promise."

----------------------------------------------------.

"Captain," said officer Isaac. "I'm detecting a strange energy reading from the planet's surface. It's opening an energy rift in space"

"A rift?" said Cherry. "Interesting, they may be using that as an escape route. We know Rikti quantum technology exceeds our own, but from what we do know is it takes a great energy source to create such a rift."

She pondered this for a moment, and wondered how they had gotten the energy resources to create a rift in space. She had a hunch, but it was best to ask Danyel about these things.

"Hey Danny, is it possible to harness magical items and convert them to pure energy?" she asked.

"Depends on the object. Things of a high magic capacity can do such things if the technology can handle it, and other various factors I won't go on explaining… What are you suggesting?'"

"The Vindicator weapon. Could they use that?"

"You know, that's a good thought. As a matter of fact I think that's exactly why they stole it in the first place."

Cherry knew it couldn't be helped. During the invasion, the Rikti threatened to vaporize the hospital, unless the weapon was surrendered to them. " I believe you are correct. And now they have their own personal gate back to the borderlands."

She knew something would have to be done, and since Matronia's leader wasn't exactly on good terms with them, they couldn't ask for backup. They also bordered the Terrain lands, but the terrains would prefer not to enter Matronian space unauthorized by the Patriarch.

"Well ladies and gentlemen, this invasion they've had in Matronian space most likely won't be the last. What I'm suggesting is an assault on the downed Rikti ship on the planet's surface. They could still use this place as a beacon back to Matronian space. On top of that, this planet is very vulnerable to a full scale Rikti invasion.

"I will take a unit to the surface, while Valentine and Regina will take care of things out here in space. I want reports on any strange activity out here. They're most likely recovering from the recent defeat, so we still have plenty of time till they regain their forces. In the meantime, I will need to assemble our elite ground troops-"

Suddenly, someone comes to the bridge in his boxer shorts and a ragged muscle tee shirt. He is untidy, scruffy, and a bit smelly. He yawns loudly and belches right after. He has a remote in his hands and clicks it on the main screen. The display instantly changes to a college football game as he walks to a seat. "Good morning droogs, anything new?"

"KAYAIN!" yells Cherry. "Change that back now!"

"Oh, something important? Can I at least see the scores?"

Kayain, the best fighter of the Vigilantes, was always trying to find new ways of annoying Cherry. There were no limits to the lengths he would go to annoy her, and anyone he'd ever met. Kayain, standing at 6'4, long blond spiked hair, a handsome face, with gray eyes, and muscles all over his chiseled body.

It always annoyed her that he always had to put on a show for everyone. It annoyed her that he could be so charismatic and charming. And to Cherry's utmost annoyance, he was extremely good looking and she couldn't stay mad at him for long.

Cherry took a deep breath and tried to calm herself," Kayain."

Kayain looked at her and grinned," Yeeeesss?"

"You remember that little chat we had a couple of days ago when I said never to mess with the main screen during emergencies?"

"Kind of. Honestly, I was more focused on staring down that cute shirt of yours."

Another deep breath," Well, I had mentioned never to turn on the sports channel of any kind when I'm in here."

"Well that's kind of unfair."

"Unfair!? How the hell is that unfair?"

"Cause unless you're standing on a couple of phonebooks I can't see you in here."

Cherry cracked her knuckles and said," Kayain I'm about to-"

"HA! I'm just joking. You know I love you." He said as he blew a kiss at her.

Cherry however was hoping he would explode into confetti if she wished it hard enough. She folded her arms and said," Kayain, I'm not joking, please be mindful of that in the future."

"I know, I know, I just can't see you in that humongous Captain's chair you sit in."

"Regardless, this is very important. I can't stress how-"

Then, a woman came in wearing the same kind of raggedy looking muscle shirt, and no pants. She too had a remote, and changed the monitor to Sponge Bob Square Pants. "Oooh! I haven't missed anything have I?"

"DIANA!" Yelled Cherry, "CHANGE THAT BACK NOW!"

Diana nearly jumped out of her skin," OH! Hi… boss. Didn't know you were here… that chair and all."

Diana changes the monitor back and walks over to Danyel.

"How many times Di," Says Cherry, "How many times do I have to tell you guys about the monitor? And where are your pants?!"

"Well, you see, it's laundry day. And I also had hot, sweaty sex with your brother last night too. Must have just forgotten all about it."

Diana was what most people called open minded… but Cherry had a better word; simple-minded, much like her brother Kayain. Both, Diana and Kayain were part Q'Hagian, and most Q'Hagians don't mind being seen in their underwear, because their sight was different than normal light vision.

Q'Hagian sight is does not require light, because their eyes are used for seeing energy. They see energy that gives people and objects an aura like quality. They can tell moods, dispositions, and even sometimes emotion from the aura they see. The energy they see can shape a person to show them what people look like in the light, to form a type of normal light vision.

What annoyed Cherry even more was, both her and Kayain are the best fighters in the Vigilantes. Diana is happily married to her brother Danyel. She is 6'2, beautiful face with cloudy grey eyes, short bobbed brown hair, and body that supermodels would kill for (including Cherry, but she'd never say so). Some people say her looks are the only reason Danyel likes her, but he claims to see much more than just her nice figure. Danyel said he enjoys her cheerful disposition, her personality, and her warmth. When he had said that to Kayain, he called him a fag.

What Cherry hated the most was when Diana would talk so bluntly about her and Danyel's love life in front of her. She was very keen on the 'need to know' basis

"You know what?" she said while leaning forward. "Just for that you are banned from using this unit for cartoons, and any other kind of entertainment."

"What?! No fair!"

"That's final! You can't seem to obey even the simplest of orders. So you're going to start loosing privileges."

"I always do my work," said Diana indignantly. "You just never appreciate what I do around here!"

"And what exactly have you done around here," said Cherry as she raised her eyebrow. "And I'm not talking about how many beers you can drink in twenty five seconds."

Diana had to think for a moment. She said," Well, I, uh… I cooked your birthday cake!"

"And I said thanks for it. But really, did it have to be an erotic cake? I mean I didn't feel right cutting that cake…"

"See? I did _something_!"

"I mean something that benefits the team! Did you finish all the paperwork I gave you?"

Diana looks suddenly nervous and says," What?! Oh, heh, heh. Yea! I finished it! I finished it good! Yup, everything's fine and dandy!"

"And if I look in your room I won't see a bunch of papers shredded will I?"

"NO!" she said as innocently as possible while Cherry's gaze seemed to bore a hole in her head. "No… no… Ok, define shredded papers."

Cherry sighed and rubbed her temple with her thumbs. She said," Diana. You are banned forever from touching this monitor. No excuses! Hand over that remote."

"HA HA!" Laughed Kayain, "You got scolded! What a looser!"

Diana stuck her tongue out at him as Cherry said," That goes for you too Kayain."

"What?! Aaw, come on!"

"I mean it! And if I catch any of you doing it, you'll have janitorial duties on the gym bathroom for the next star year!"

They both cringed at the thought as they said," All right…"

Next, Cherry explained the situation to Kayain and Diana. They responded with their usual blank stares," Now Kayain, I want you to get the crew ready, we're going down to the planet's surface. Tell Tylar to get the gear ready, and then get your medical supplies from Ami."

Nobody is sure what she meant, but Kayain nods and says," Yea, I'll get the guys… Think we're going to be there long?"

"That's undetermined Kayain. You never know. But after we're done Danyel would like to visit to see about the wizards who live there. I myself would like to find my fellow psions there. Why do you ask?"

"Oh no reason… just wondering if I should pack my beloved Mr. Cuddles."

Cherry held back a smile and frowned instead, her special frown she saves just for him and said," Yes, Kayain. You should pack Mr. Cuddles."

"Good, I'll be off now."

Deep down, Cherry hoped that that ratty looking teddy bear of his would accidentally get vaporized in some kind of dangerous mission.

"What about me?" said Diana.

"You've got another important job. You're in charge of the food and rations."

"That doesn't sound very important."

"Oh but it is. You'll be like the watergirl who provides proper refreshments in the heat of battle."

"Like that Kool-Aid guy?"

"Just like him."

"Oh, awesome!"

"Good, now go away please," said Cherry. She turned to Danyel and said," You to Dan, get your stuff and let's get moving."

"Sis?" said Valentine.

"Yes?"

"Do you think it's possible I could join you guys?"

"If the situation calls for it," Cherry smiled and said," I know you'll get bored without any action, but I trust you as second in command."

Valentine perked up and said," You got it sis."

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, I must go prepare for combat. I hope to see you soon after.. Oh, and V?"

"Yea sis?"

"Remind me to order a new chair"

----------------------------------------------------

Kayain and Diana go see their brother Tylar, the genius of the family. He's the Vigilante inventor and lead researcher.

Some people call him the modern wizard of Technology. The man could create things from various household items that could make even MacGyver blush.

Tylar is much different from his siblings. He's a less outgoing, charming, and an overall nerd. He's about 6'2, long blonde hair, handsome face, and blue eyes covered by his nerdy glasses, and very skinny to boot. A guy like Tylar who lived with a guy like Kayain, tended to get bullied every now and then. But on the plus side, Kayain always beat up other bullies who tried to pick on him.

"So, you've come for your equipment have you?" said Tylar. "What happened to Mr. I-Don't-need-your-crummy-inventions-because-I-have-a-dumb-sword? Humm?"

"Knock it off," said Kayain. "I'm not here because I want to be. I'm here on a rescue mission. Rescuing my sword that is."

"Humm, yes, so I heard. Bad luck for all of us it seems."

"Bad luck for you too?"

"Yes, I seem to be fresh out of all my necessary supplies. I'll be short on supplies until we can get to a facility that sells what I need."

"Yea, yea, boo hoo for you."

"Kayain, that means we'll be under equipped out there."

"So?"

Tylar sighs and says," Oh yes, silly me, I forgot you were into the whole punchem-in-the-face deal. You know sometimes you remind me of those little toys that just punch till their heads pop up."

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, no. Just figured you'd want a weapon this time. I say though, feel free to use your face as a blocking device."

"I told you I just need something for the team, and I don't care if it's equipping the entire team with Viagra," he said as he smiled. "Ok so maybe I _do_ care about that. Now what have you got?"

"I have a couple of Jump-suits made for the team."

"Jump-suits? What do they do, besides look tacky."

"They're modified body suits that allow the user to leap incredibly high, using inertial reduction technology. It slows your inertia as though you were in low gravity."

"Cool, so we can out maneuver our enemies on the ground."

"Exactly."

"Can we rename them?" asked Diana. "Jump-suit sounds generic."

"What's wrong with the name? It took me all of 3 hours to come up with something good. You know it's like a double entendre, it's a jump suit because it makes you jump high, and it's also a jump-suit style… oh, you'll be laughing about that later."

Kayain shook his head and said," Tylar… what have I told you about that whole being funny thing? Leave the funny for me. Don't bother, for all our sakes."

"Oh. Right."

"So where are these tacky Jump-Suits?"

"Well, as it just so happens I have a very stylish Jump-Suit."

"Tylar, your idea of stylish includes a pocket protector, suspenders, and an asthma inhaler. There's no way you could get any style as far as I'm concerned."

"Ah, but I did, my dim witted sibling. Observe!"

Tylar opens a curtain and reveals a few black, custom designed suits. Each is shaped in the fit of someone's body.

"Wow!" said Diana. "Gotta admit little bro, they are pretty stylish."

"I had them adjusted to fit some of the crew members. They were incredibly difficult to make, and very time consuming. So handle them with-"

"MINE!" says Kayain as he grabs one with spiked spalders. "Black and yellow, those are my colors."

"Yes, that one's yours. I thought that might tickle your fancy."

"The suit's going to tickle my what now?."

"Ooh! This one's mine!" Said Diana.

"Actually that one's not yours."

"Oh? Who's is it?"

"Well its-"

Kayain looks at the tag and sees the name Ami written on it and grins broadly.

"But you made it my favorite color, Purple."

"Violet actually."

"Same thing," she said while waiving her hand dismissively." Wow, this one is sexy! And they're skin tight too, really gonna show off my sexy body."

"Well… I suppose you can have that one. But for heaven's sake please change in the bathroom!"

"We also need medical supplies. We're going to see-" Kayain grinned again and said," Ami. You wanna come and say hi? Humm? You haven't said hi to her in a long time. She asks about you sometimes. She can get, you know, lonely."

Everyone knew Tylar had the biggest crush on Ami, and always ragged on him about it.

"I suppose… I mean I need some chemicals, and she has it… Might as well go down and at least say hi while I'm there. Nothing else. Really."

Diana smirked as well and said," Well, let's get going lover boy. Don't wanna keep Ami waiting do you?"

"I don't know what the bloody hell you're talking about! Let's just go now!"

----------------------------------------------------

Inside Ami's medical quarters, Diana played with various instruments, and Kayain was messing with a thermometer.

"Hey Ami," he said to Ami who was in the next room getting equipment. "Does a recital thermometer mean it's for when you sing so much you get feverish?"

"That's not 'recital' that's 'rectal'" She called out.

Kayain spit it on the floor and rushed to wash his mouth as Diana nearly toppled off her seat laughing. Tylar merely shook his head and walked over to the supply room.

"Tylar," said Ami. "Haven't seen you in a long time. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me. Or maybe you just didn't like to talk to me anymore."

Ami was a Matronian from Amram. Another characteristic of Matronians is the wide spectrum of hair and eye colors. Ami had a dark violet shoulder length hair, and the same colored eyes. Like Tylar she was also a child prodigy, she graduated from college at the age of 13 with a major in biochemistry. She learned everything she could about medicine, regeneration, longevity, and cures for all kinds of diseases.

Long ago, there was a reward for the capture of Cherry's father, Rolando, and Ami was with a group that hunted him. She was only supposed to be a field medic, but when they ran into rival bounty hunters, they decided to attack her as well. Rolando was nearby when he heard the commotion, and saw her and her team dieing on the floor. He quickly helped them, fully aware that they were supposed to be hunting him. In the process of saving them, the bounty hunters came back and captured him. Ami and her team felt the need to repay him, and rescued him. They promised they wouldn't turn him in after that, and Ami still felt she owed him more. She has been in the Vigilantes since it started with Rolando, and doesn't plan on leaving until her longevity runs out.

"What?! Oh no I'd never-" He saw she was smiling at him, very kindly. "I mean, you know, I'm always busy and whatnot. I have a big project I'm working on at the moment. Huge project. Very… big."

There was an awkward silence between them, then finally Ami said," I know you're busy most of the time, but you could just come by on your off time. We haven't finished our last game of Chess."

Indeed, it was still laying in her room, unfinished. Tylar had stalled to properly think of a series of outcomes for the possible number of moves he could do in the time. Of course he'd never say that he did that.

"Yes, well I do apologize for that. And you're right, I should take a little time off. Because as they say,' All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.' I promise, we'll finish the game and get in a couple of games of Pokemon too."

"That'll be good," she said casually. "I have a new deck I'd like to try out."

"Oh really?" said Tylar, also trying to sound casual. "Well I'd like to see that too, how about after our mission?"

"That sounds good! After we're done, assuming there's no serious casualties."

"Indeed, if all goes well, then we'll just hang out like we used to."

"All right then, I'm gonna hold that on you."

"Capital! It's a date then!"

"A date?"

"I mean, umm…"

Another awkward silence between them. The silence was broken though, not by either of them, but by Kayain and Diana's laughter and hooting. Kayain had snuck up behind Tylar, and de-pants him, underwear and all. Ami blushed and looked away, stifling a giggle. Tylar, horrified, reaches as fast as he can to pull up his pants, trips, and falls on his face. Tylar frantically tries to orient himself and pull his pants up while Kayain and Diana are doubled over laughing.

"YOU BLOODY ARSEHOLSES!" He yelled. "I'll get you back for this if it's the last thing I do!"

After he gets up and has his pants back up, he proceeds to kick Kayain on the floor. Kayain is laughing to hard to notice Tylar's wimpy kicks.

"Hoo, that never gets old!" He said as he tried to stop laughing. "Hey Tylar, your pants are still down!"

"What?" he said as he looked at his pants. "They are not! I have them all the way up and-"

Kayain grabbed his pant leg and pulled it again, this time ripping the rims. Tylar's pants fell down once again.

----------------------------------------------------

"Kayain's right. That never gets old," said Diana as the 3 of them went down the corridor.

Tylar, fuming, said," I hate you both, and I hope you die of arse Chlamydia."

Kayain thought it was funny when Tylar insulted him. Tylar had been sent to college at a young age because of his intelligence. The college was in a Terrain planet that had people who spoke British English. Being young and impressionable, he started to speak English like them. He never seemed to break that habit and always spoke like that from then on. The accent he brought only seemed to encourage Kayain's behavior.

"Hey, if I didn't do that it would have been very awkward lover boy. So if you think about it I did you a favor! You seriously aren't any kind of romantic. Hey Di, remember-" Kayain made a mocking voice of Tylar and said," Oh Ami, I would love to go on a date with you… What's that you say? Pokemon? How romantic!"

"Shut-up." He said as he ground teeth together.

Diana giggled and put on a mocking voice as she said," Oh Ami, I want to show you my huge 'project'! Let's go finish our chess game, and sit close by the fire while playing video games!'"

"SHUT UP!" He said louder between his teeth.

"Is there a problem here?" said Cherry from behind.

"Heeey, babe! We were just, you know having a conversation with our bro, and he's just mad because he tried to impress Ami by pulling his pants down."

"THAT WAS YOUR FAULT!" he said furiously.

"Sad part was, she wasn't impressed at all," said Kayain with a wicked grin.

Cherry immediately knew that Kayain had humiliated Tylar in front of Ami, again. She wanted to laugh, but was disciplined enough to hold it back. Instead, she frowned and said," Kayain, your behavior was appalling, and you've got beaker scrubbing duty for the week when we get back."

"What?! Oh, No, no no! I can't do that! I've got to, uh… got to wash my hair?"

"I'm not asking you on a date Kayain, I'm _telling_ you what you're going to do."

"Oh yes!" said Tylar.

"That means you have to do whatever he says for the rest of the week, at 2800 hours every day. Tylar, we need a few more things before we leave, help me find them."

Cherry walked off, and Tylar followed flashing an evil grin at Kayain.

"You heard her! You have to do whatever I say. Oh and there will be no need for safety gloves."

Kayain, cursing under his breath continued to the equipment room, where the team waited. There were 5 of them sitting around playing cards.

The ground troop consisted of 9 people. Cherry, Kayain, Danyel, and Diana were leaders. The others were each uniquely talented, and survived the longest out of Cherry's previous units.

"Humm," said Lu Bu. "Tell me again Biggs, does the big fat lady on the Q beat the big fat man on the K?"

Lu Bu is an Orc from the Orcish homeworld of Aarrg. One might find this a strange name for a planet, but in Orcish culture it was the noise that the first tribe leader made when he was naming the planet. He was a great chiefton who united the clans, and his speech went along the lines of,' And this world shall be named- Aaarrrg!!" That was the point when he slipped and fell into a burning tar pit.

Lu Bu has a fondness for Matronians. During a political dispute over territory (the ones that involved a lot of guns), with Matronians and the Half-Dragons, Lu Bu was found under Dragon control. He was cyberneticially enhanced to withstand all types of Matronian weapons. Rolando was there on the field when he saw this warrior fight. He took pity on him and killed those who were controlling him. Lu Bu came to his senses, and joined the Matronians against the hated Half-Dragons. Later on, he also found out that one of the Half-Dragons had stolen his manhood, and from that day forward, he vowed revenge on that Dragon who stole it.

Lu Bu loves carrying more weapons then he'll ever need, and always uses them all. He joined Cherry out of respect, and with his cybernetic enhancements, he's proven invaluable.

"Aye," said Biggs. "I told ye a thousand times! In the alphabet the Q comes _after_ the K! So yes already!"

Biggs, the trigger happy Halfling is their ranged weapon specialist. Biggs is also the youngest member of the team. This doesn't however stop him from getting drunk, going to strip clubs, and ordering a big-kids meal at the Jack-In-The-Box.

Biggs' most noticeable and disliked feature is he likes to pretend to be Catholic. He's really not, but he likes to hand out pamphlets to people and patronize them. Little is known about Biggs' history, because most of his childhood was spent in a drunken stupor. They do know however that he is somehow related to someone very important in the Halfling society.

"Oh," said Lu Bu. "And who's the wise guy on the big J?"

"Tha', would be the Jackoff," said Biggs. "Ye don' want the Jackoff, cause he's a complete Jackoff."

"Please don't remind me of Jacking off… I miss that so much."

"Biggs," said Kat. "Don't lie to the man, we're already out of decent competition with you always cheating anyway."

Kat O' 9 Killian was a special mage; special in the fact that he passed his wizarding exams after 12 tries. In the wizarding community, there are schools, and colleges. Some schools are devoted to specific magic, while others are universal. Kat had failed his high school wizarding level tests several times, and then failed his college level 12 times. It's not that he doesn't know magic that well, it's just that he doesn't test well. When it comes to testing, they had to clear out all civilians for 10 miles to test his fire spells.

What Kat had neglected to tell his teachers was that he was blind, and he couldn't read the proper spells correctly. This lasted till his 12th attempt, when they finally gave him a sight spell. Again he got it wrong, and he created a floating, metallic eyeball. It kept flying away, so he had to attach a chain to it, and animated the chain. Not an ideal wizard, but he puts his skills to good use for Cherry.

"Cheatin'!?" said Biggs. "I'm no' cheating ya bastard! I canna help it if I gets five aces!"

"I've never heard of the ace of dog turds," said DeVall

DeVall is a psion like Cherry. DeVall can manipulate energy matter with his mind, creating blasts of fire, ice, and energy. But he hasn't had the time to master his technique, because he puts off studying with Cherry for playing his MMORPG. Sometimes, he's the DM when they play Dungeons and Dragons, and he devotes most of time to that as well. Cherry peels him away from that and sends him on missions, hoping he'll learn with harsh experience.

"Tha's only cause yer a newbie! Ya don't have any real card playin' experience like I do!" said Biggs.

"I have twenty one, and I win," said Solo.

Solo Salongo, a mechanist by day, and his alter ego Ango becomes a Ninja by night.

Solo is part of the Salongo clan; the most popular and widely known family in the galaxy. Energetic and eccentric, they always get things done, and with the Salongo spirit. The Salongos originate from Spain, and most usually travel with an acoustic guitar player to play them serenades as they fight for justice. The leader of this bunch is none other than the mighty Sancho Salongo. Who is so powerful he has a natural acoustic music that appears wherever he goes.

Cherry's father had once saved Sancho's life, long ago. He was so happy, he named him an honorary Salongo, for him and all his decedents. It's a little known, and dark secret as far as she's concerned. Cherry would prefer not to have acoustics playing while she does things.

"Ack! Fer the last time the game is Poker, not Blackjack!"

"Alright ladies, listen up!" said Kayain. "We're going to the surface of some backwater planet to get me my sword back!"

"Eh?" said Biggs. "Oh, tha's right. Ya gave yer weapon away to them heathen bastards."

"Damn right," said Kayain. "Cherry said that they're using my baby for something sick and perverted… Possibly sexual in nature."

"Whoa," said Kat. "I'd say it isn't worth the effort anymore."

"So if you see 'em, blast away! I will be keeping my score. The one with the least kills buys the beers!"

"Eh? What's going on now?" said Lu Bu who was concentrating hard on picking a booger out of his nose.

"The Rikti, remember? They took the weapon."

"Yea, I liked that weapon. It talked nicely to me."

"Well we think we know where it is, and we're going to get it now."

"Aye? So ya say we can bus' some heads while we're down there eh?" asked Biggs.

"Oh yes, Indeed!" said Kayain. "You guys will be part of my killin' squad! And as you know we- Yes Solo?"

"Do we know for sure the weapon is down there?"

"Yes we do!"

"Oh… how?"

Kayain raises his fist and says," Cause _this_ said so!"

He backs off and says," Good reasoning!"

"So what other details do we need to know besides kill everything?" said DeVall.

Kayain thought about it for a second and said," Humm… details. I really hate details but if you insist on knowing details, I did your mom last night if it helps."

----------------------------------------------------

Tylar was a bit of an optimist when it came to projects and missions. Cherry could also detect a hint of arrogance. She supposed that was a family trait in him.

"So what will you be needing this time?"

"We don't know what we're up against. We've dealt with these Rikti before, and they use energy weapons, teleport matrix systems, energy blades, and psionics."

"I see. Well I can do the energy weapons. I've already anticipated it in your jump-suits. They come equipped with many features, such as: resistance to all kinds of damage, inertial reduction, communicators, and optional cup holders."

"Cup holders?"

"Male outfit only I'm afraid."

"Tylar… you know about my need to know basis?"

"Yes?"

"I don't need to know that."

"Ah yes, very well then."

"This sounds good and all. Can you explain the damage resistance?"

"It's simple. There's no way I can negate an attack completely without you lugging around a huge two thousand pound generator on your back, so what I have is a resistance. Basically it will just hurt like hell if they hit you."

"Sounds nasty. Better then being dead though."

"Indeed. And about the inertial reduction, just kick off the ground and you'll go very fast upward."

Cherry looked a bit skeptical and asked," This isn't like your failed flight suit is it?"

"Oh no, no, no… I mean we _found _Lu Bu after he was nailed to the sky. I believe the old chap rather enjoyed the experience."

"That's not reassuring Tylar. Have you tested this suit?"

"Of course I have!"

Cherry stared at him and he faltered a bit.

"Well, theoretically I have!" he said.

"Theory is only good for two things Tylar, no good, and good for nothing. I'm a strong believer in Murphy's Law, and I want facts."

"Yes, yes, of course! I mean I did run a trial on the beginning model long time ago."

"And the results?"

"Euphoria."

"That's good."

"With slight case of head implosion."

Cherry stops walking and narrows her eyes at him.

"What…"

"No worries though! I fixed that major problem a long time ago as well, see? As a matter of fact I'm wearing the updated jump suit under my lab coat. Observe!"

Tylar jumps in the air and touches the ceiling.

"See? Nothing to it!"

"Yea I saw. But you haven't tested it out in the open now have you?"

"Not exactly. We haven't been anywhere we could test it and I was rather hoping-"

"That we would be your guinea pigs for your little jump suit, right?"

"You sure know how to make a convenient idea sound bad don't you?"

Cherry puts an arm around Tylar and says," Tylar, let me tell you something… Imagine this: I go out there with your jump suit on, I jump in the air, come down and shatter every bone in my body. Basically you've turned me into a boneless pile of organs and muscle that needs to be scooped up in a shovel. Ok? You still with me Tylar? Good. Now imagine my long and painful trek to recovery in the regenerator ok? That'll take me a good five days, yes?"

Tylar nodded a bit nervously.

"Ok, now imagine what's going to happen to you after I am fully revitalized."

"I see pain in my future."

"Yes, and lots of it. As a matter of fact, after all your pain will supposedly be over, I'll have Ami do some surgery on my foot to remove it from how far I'm going to plant it in your ass. Got it?"

"You can be very convincing… Well here's what I can say. I guarantee you that you will not shatter every bone in your body unless you think this thing can handle skydiving without a parachute."

"It's a start, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt since you've had no proper testing area."

"Thank you. Now please observe as I use this to leap to my lab."

Tylar jumped forward and clotheslines himself with a pipe sticking out from the ceiling and falls flat on his back.

"Are you ok?" asked Cherry standing over him with her arms folded.

"I'm. Fine," he said gasping for air.

Cherry picks him up and he catches his breath.

"Ow, I was seeing stars."

"Maybe jumping in the halls isn't such a good idea eh?"

"Apparently not."

"One more question Tylar. Did Kayain really pants you in front of Ami? I mean underwear and everything?"

He turns red and says quietly," Yes…"

"Oh, shame on him then," said Cherry politely.

"Thanks. You know you're the only one who never laughs at me when that kind of stuff happens. Thanks again."

"Aaw, forget about it. I don't approve of Kayain doing such things to my team mates. Now run along and get your stuff. I'm going to get a drink here in the lounge."

"All right, meet you there."

Cherry closed the door to the lounge and waited until he was out of earshot, and laughed," That is so sad!"

----------------------------------------------------

Tylar and Cherry come in to the hangar and hand out the equipment to everyone.

"Alright men, did Kayain tell you about the mission?" asked Cherry.

"Aye, Cap'n," said Biggs. "He mentioned something about how ya always wear a blue thong during missions."

"Wait! I didn't-"

"Kayain. I'm not very happy with you at the moment. So don't say anything."

"Sheesh… I was just going to say it's actually pink."

"Kayain you've got lab duty for 2 weeks now."

"AAAW!"

"Now down to business folks."

Cherry explained the situation and the imminent danger of another full scale Rikti invasion, and the need to recover the Vindicator weapon.

The weapon itself holds powerful and unique magic. It was forged with the soul of a selfless Wizard who gave their life in creating it. The weapon then chooses someone to bestow their power to, and grants them incredible abilities. Most wizards are elite in 1 specific school, and the user gains total control over what the wizard was best at. Kayain's weapon for example allows him to manipulate fire, and bend it to his will. With the weapon he is immune to any kind of fire, whether it be mundane fire, magic fire, or psionic fire. Kayain could command fire better than any wizard or psion could imagine. In addition, he gained the ability to regenerate his body from the heat around him, and he could dodge oncoming attacks at incredible speeds.

But now his weapon was gone, and so is his mastery and immunity to fire. The only thing that remained was his ability to regenerate. Kayain didn't mind so much, because he had disciplined his mind to ignore physical pain long ago.

"I have a question Captain." Said Lu Bu.

"Yes?"

"Can we go now? I'd like to get to twisting someone in half now."

Cherry smiled. Lu Bu had always brought trophies from battle to show off. He sometimes stringed ears from his enemies and made a grotesque belt. Cherry however didn't want to discourage him from being an efficient killing machine, and was usually pleased to see his trophies. Rikti however have no ears, so he tried to string up their battle armor. Cherry put a stop to that quick.

"Yes, Lu Bu, we shall go now. But what will you bring me this time? Last battle you only killed one hundred equipped Rikti Warriors."

"Please don't remind me of that shame Captain. I promise you no less than a thousand this time. And I will bring back their leader's head as a trophy you can hang above a fireplace. But first I will wear it as I slay his minions, and maybe to garden my tomatoes as well."

"Excellent." She said. "I would expect nothing less. Ah, Valentine, are you ready?"

"I sure am, are you guys?"

"Oh yes, indeed!" Said Kayain with a grin.

"Alright, I'm going to drop you guys off as close as I can without attracting to much attention. The rest is up to you guys."

----------------------------------------------------

During the flight, Kayain and Lu Bu were having a conversation on transcendence through the use of football, chips and beer. Biggs was preaching to DeVall and Kat. Solo had switched personalities to Ango, and was trying to hide in plain sight with a blanket over his head.

Cherry walked over to Kayain and pulled him aside for a few words with him. Kayain knew this was never good.

"Kayain, I want you to use your brains now and think hard," she said. "Think back when I mentioned about staying focused on missions."

Kayain responded with his usual blank stare.

"I can see the lights are on, but no one is home," she said while crossing her arms. "A few missions ago, we were in big trouble and you were off making a beer pit stop. You remember that?"

"Kind of. You said something like 'we need your beer'. And I didn't have any so I went to get some."

"No Kayain I had said 'we need you here'."

"Well at least we weren't short on beer now were we?"

"That's not what we need when we're under fire!"

Kayain smiled broadly as he said," Ah but who was it who came in the wrong way and ended up being behind the enemy?"

Cherry frowned and said," Yea, yea, I know you made a big mistake and saved us in the end but-"

"Yea and who _single handedly _beat the base commander with beer bottle in hand?"

"I _know_ what you did Kayain! But that's not-"

"And who's brilliant blunder saved you from having to get past five, count em', FIVE security walls? Not to mention the force shields in the hallways, and deactivated all the traps because of some case of mistaken identity?"

Cherry gave her special frown and said," You _really_ want me to say it don't you? You honestly want me to say it for your own pleasure of totally annoying the hell out of me?"

Kayain put his hand to his ear and said," I'm sorry I can't hear you over the sound of your teeth. Try and scrape them a bit less when you tell me, who's you're daddy?"

Cherry gritted her teeth and said," We KNOW you saved us, Kayain, now shut the hell up!"

"Right. Now tell me how much you love me."

"KAYAIN!"

"Ok, ok. I'll assume that shout means you love me, and acknowledge how superior I am to you."

"What I am _trying_ to tell you is I don't want you getting distracted again."

"You mean you don't want to be saved again."

"NO! That was dumb luck! It won't happen like that again!"

"How do you know?"

"Because it's just dumb luck in the first place!"

"You know you're really hot when you get angry?"

She closed her eyes and her eye twitched as she said," Kayain."

"Sup."

"This is what I'm talking about, you're getting distracted again!"

"I tend to get distracted easily, like when I'm… you know, doing stuff."

"Kayain, quit staring at my chest and look at my face!"

"Oh! Heh heh. My bad."

"So," she said with a wicked smile on her angry face. "In order to keep you focused, I'm forbidding you from certain rights and privileges during the missions."

"Like what?!"

"Like no sex."

"YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"

"And no kissing, or touching of any kind… not even yourself. And you know what I mean."

Kayain was mortified. He couldn't think of anything witty to retort at her.

"But! But! I," he thought for a moment how to get into Cherry's head. He knew if he played her game, she would give in eventually. "All right then, FINE. I can play your little game, and I'm going to win too!"

"Kayain, this isn't a game."

"Ha! You don't wanna make it a game cause you know I'll win."

"Oh I doubt it. You'll be desperate to get the mission done as soon as possible."

"Wanna make a bet of it?"

Cherry knew Kayain loved to rival with her. And Cherry couldn't resist being his competition.

"All right, we'll make it a wager. If I win, you have to... oh, I know! You have be my personal spa for the rest of the month. That includes back, neck, leg, and body messages. It includes washing and massaging my feet."

"Sounds kinky. I get to rub your body. I like this."

"It also includes doing my nails, and shampooing and styling my hair. And getting me that green stuff on my face with the fruits on my eyes. You must also go shopping with me and try on everything I tell you to."

"Oh ho! Now _that _sounds like a good ol' fashioned testicle shrinker. So I'll be your personal slave for a month basically."

"Yup."

"Does that mean a sex slave as well?"

"No, but you get to carry my purse in public, buy me feminine deodorant and use it yourself, and then you can also do my underwear shopping."

"Ugh! I can't go into the women's underwear section! They always make me feel unwelcome when I go there! Like I'm some kind of pervert!"

Cherry rolls her eyes and says," Gee, you a pervert? That'll be the day."

"Well, I have something even better! If I win, what we're gonna do is this: First, I'm gonna set up a nice little set. Next, I'm gonna get my super special perverted camera with zoom function, and high definition pictures. Then, I'm gonna have you take pictures for me. You'll be wearing a very sexy outfit too."

"You want me to pose for you. That's it? I assume there's a catch to this."

"Oh there's a catch all right," said Kayain as he reached inside his bag and pulls out nothing. "You'll be wearing this."

"That's nothing- Oh."

"Na, they're sexy clothes. Just completely invisible."

"Always a catch isn't there?"

"And, I know how camera shy you are, so you're gonna be posing and doing sexy photos for me!"

She knew he was a complete pervert. She also knew about his hidden stash of pictures he had of girls he caught in the shower. Long ago she found out his secret and prevented him from ever getting voyeur shots of her.

Another thing was their beliefs. Matronians tend to frown on public nudity and are very conservative about that. Q'Hagians are much more open about it and show nudity even on public television.

Cherry thought about this. Either way, she thought, we're both still trying to humiliate each other.

"Ok, we'll have it that way. Looser gets humiliated. And when you crack, I'm not making it easy for you."

"You'll see, I'm unbreakable, like a man of steel. You won't break me!"

"Steel, sure. More like aluminum foil."

"Aaw, that's low… Hey, what about an emergency situation?"

"Like what?"

"Like… errr, say someone kidnaps the team, and they hold a ransom saying the only way they'll let them go is if we have kinky sex on tape and send it to them."

Cherry tried to stop herself from laughing, but only smiled instead. She rolled her eyes and said," Yea sure, if by some weird phenomena that happens, then we'll have kinky sex and record it."

"Ga'damn, I love loopholes in my favor."


	2. Chapter 2 The Rikti Crash Site

Chapter 2

The Rikti Crash Site

"Kayain," said Cherry as kindly as she could muster while being seriously annoyed. "I told you to go _before_ we came."

"I really gotta go still!"

"How bad is it? Like number one or two?"

"At this point it's number three!"

"Can't you just go in those trees over there?"

"Oh all right already! I'm _trying_ to be civilized but apparently _you_ don't want me to."

"Are we there yet?" said Biggs.

"According to the topographical map we received it should be over this hill here," said Cherry.

"An' why don' we jus' take a car instead of this walking shite?"

"You know as well as I do that you guys totally destroyed all of our vehicles. Although I must admit the way you landed it on top of a fifty story building was quite a feat."

"'S what happens when Lu Bu drives. An' I know tha' the folks here have vehicles, an' computers. Regina said so."

Cherry turned her head to look at him and said," Let's just pretend that the city folks might _not_ like us to come rushing into the city with our ATV's equipped with weapons that can level city blocks with a push of a button. Maybe they'll be glad to see us, and possibly _not_ try and make us a smoking crater."

"Yer no fun…"

The Vigilantes arrived a few miles off the Crash site. They traveled on foot for a good hour, which seemed like an eternity of torment for Cherry.

"I'm hungry," said Solo.

"Eat a bug," said Cherry.

"My feet are tired," said DeVall.

"Get some exercise fatty!"

"If I make a face, will it stay like that?" asked Lu Bu.

"Probably not in your case."

As soon as they came to the top of the hill, they encountered a large wall, the height of a skyscraper. Half of the wall was made of steel, and the other half was made of energy.

"Great!" said Kayain. "The ship is over there, and we're stuck on this side."

Cherry ignored him and said," This is pretty advanced technology, this wall of force. The structure is huge! Who knew the locals had this technology?"

"It seems like we underestimated their abilities," said Danyel. "Who knows? Maybe they've recovered the weapon by now?"

"I doubt it. They might just think of it as a sword. You can't really tell a sword is magical unless you swing it around."

"That's not true! It's not like a psi-blade or something, which makes a _whoosh_ noise as you swing it. There's much more practical and magical methods of testing if a sword is magical!"

"Ok, ok, so you can't, chill out already."

Danyel is one of those kind of people who love to talk for a long time about a subject, no matter how uninterested his victim is. The best tactic Cherry knew was to stop him before he started.

"Gee Dan, we're all interested to know in case we run into a real magical sword. Why don't you tell us?" said Kayain, just to annoy her.

"Well, you see..."

-------------------------------------------

After they searched the far perimeter of the structure, Danyel had to cut his explanation short as they reached some kind of entrance point. On one side, there was the Crash site, and they couldn't see what was on the other. Both seemed to have a single entry point, and a gated area with plenty of barbed wire.

They approached the entry point that they wanted to enter, and met with 2 armed swat team members. They both just stared, and said nothing as they approached.

"Excuse me," said Cherry. "We'd like to get in there if you'd let us."

They continued to stare, the kind of stare that would give Kayain's clueless stare a run for his money.

"So… if we could just get on by, that would be good."

The guards looked at her and said," …"

"Yea, so I'll be going now. We'll be going inside. Thanks a bunch."

The one on the left cleared his throat loudly.

"Yes?" Cherry asked.

"Miss… security clearance?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know, your hero clearance. You did bring it, didn't you?"

"Oh, yea… that old thing. I must have left it somewhere," Cherry reached in one of her empty pockets. "Oh dear, I seem to have left it in the spaceship somewhere. But yea, we're heroes all right."

"Humm… you guys certainly dress like heroes." As he said this Kayain looks over to Cherry who shrugs. "You don't have your hero ID on you?"

"Not today. But I don't suppose you could let us in, could you?"

"Nope. 'fraid not. You see, we have many young heroes thinking they're hotshots and coming here and getting seriously hurt. That's why we've made this a high security clearance area."

"I see. Well I'm not exactly young, I'm a leader of these guys here, and we don't look like kids now do we?"

The guard eyed them, looked at her and said," Well maybe not _them_…"

Cherry's eye twitched. She had many things that she hated being reminded of, one was her height. It especially annoyed her when strangers mentioned this fact.

"Look, you… The Rikti have a weapon in there that could be the cause of the destruction of this planet! We need access to get the weapon back and save your world."

Again he remained emotionless, and yawned a bit," Yea, sure. We know that. The Rikti ALWAYS have a weapon of mass destruction… and so does every other ga'damn villain in this stinkin' town. You above all people should know that by now. If you want to make a panic, wait in line little missy."

Cherry had enough, she was about to mind control him and let them in one way or another. Kayain sensed this was coming, and stepped up.

"Hiya fellas! Name's Kayain, you may not have heard of me, but I guarantee you I'm gonna be the next best thing here in…well wherever it is we are."

They continued their stare as if he were about to do some kind of circus trick. Cherry had come to the conclusion that staring should have been an Olympic sport. These were exactly the kind of minimum wage, Joe Lunchbucket guys who went to work every day, pulling strange hours and taking complaints from everyone, who could get down a perfect patronizing stare. These guys would have been gold medalists, right next to toll booth operators.

But these men had never before met Kayain. Years of experience taught Cherry that Kayain played a mean psychological battle. He's like a parasite, he gets under your skin, and eats away from the inside.

"So, obviously you'd be doing not only me a favor, but you'd also be doing yourself a favor by letting us in. Seeing as how popular I will be, I'd be giving you an autographed shirt in the future. Hey, if you were to sell that sucker in Matronia, you'd get 50 credits! Imagine that! I mean really think about that; me marking on an object is worth money! How's that for popularity? And to think I'd be doing such a favor for losers like you. Because I'm such a freakin' classy guy, that's why! Classy with a capital C… which is also for Cookie, like what that weird blue monster says, you know the one 'C is for Cookie, that's good enough for me!' Yea that guy. Oh and speaking of monsters, did you guys happen to see the new Dragonfire movie? Boy, I tell you, it was the worst one yet! The acting in the movie was worse than if my grandma was acting in it. And that's sad, cause my grandma is like a bajilion years old. But she's a nice old lady, she still bakes me her special cakes. Oh just thinking of those delicious cakes makes me think of my old home on the lakeside, you know the one with the old maple tree in the front. Man I had some good times in that tree. I once built a tree house up there, and then we had campouts up there, where we told ghost stories and-"

Suddenly, the guard opened the door, and said," Go… just get out of here, and please shut up!"

"Oh! How kind of you sir," said Kayain. "Isn't that nice Cherry?"

"Very."

"Well, sir, I bid you a good day. I'll be back sometime and I'll tell you about my pet Hamster, Fabio… boy I loved that little guy. Sometimes I'd pick him up, and then he'd make those cute little squeak noises. Man I tell you-"

"JUST GO!" he said.

"Yes, Kayain, let's go now." Said Cherry.

They all went into the crash site. They entered a military complex on the other side, equipped with more barbwire and lots of metallic structures. To one side was several barracks and hanger areas. To the other side, there were radio towers and gadgets that went _ping_ when things got near it. Military soldiers were scattered around, doing their own various important things. They watched as some were keeping watch, and some walking in and out of various buildings. Cherry looked for someone to stop for a moment to talk to. The only person they came across was an officer engaged in conversation with some medics.

"And we also need at least 2 per team. I want the Rikti menace pushed back farther this time. If we intend on reclaiming the city, we're going to need all the combat medics we can spare. If those heroes would show up, we'll reclaim the subdivision in no time."

"Excuse me," said Cherry. "I couldn't help hear you needed some heroes."

"Oh, speak O' the devil. Glad you could make it heroes. Are you ready for your assignment?"

"Actually, we have some new information. It seems the Rikti have gotten a hold of a new energy source, and they can get reinforcements at any given time."

He raised one eyebrow at her and said," Yea, we already know that. There has been a recent increase in Rikti activity here. That's why we need your help in quelling the population in the city. That's the reason we called you down here. I assume it wasn't you who I talked to on the phone?"

"No, but-"

"It was me sir," interrupted Kayain. "Sorry for my cohort's behavior (she's a little slow sometimes). She just doesn't listen to me… her leader."

Cherry raised her finger at Kayain and was about to say something, but the man said," Oh, I know how that goes. I've had my fill of new recruits all month. Well, I gave you most of the details on the phone, but the overall rundown is to make a strike on the city sector to quell this new batch of reinforcements."

"Will do… oh darn, what was your name again?"

"Lieutenant Smith sir."

"Right. For some reason I thought you were another guy I spoke to, guy by the name of Corporal Punishment."

"Nope, can't say I've met him."

"Well we'll be off, doing what hero's do best. I guarantee you at least 10,000 before our coffee break. Oh, and by the way, I seem to have misplaced my map, do you happen to have an extra?"

The Lieutenant searches his pockets, and pulls out a folded map. He shows them all the critical points they need to retake. Kayain thanks him and they leave towards the city.

They use the jump suits to travel around the base and to the outskirts of the city. Cherry orders them to stop for a moment to say a few things to Kayain.

"Kayain. That was quick thinking on your part, but next time let me handle it."

"Whoa, is that any way to talk to your leader?" He said with a smile.

"Kayain, you've got 3 weeks with Tylar, and remind me to throttle you when we get back."

"Aaw man!"

"Now let me see that map," She says as she examines it. "Right now, we are here. The crashed ship is over here, and the city is due west. We'll need to cut through this section in order to get to the ship. As we go by, I want Danyel, Diana, and Solo with me. We will get to the ship and see if the shields are still in use. If so, Solo will set up our equipment to open an area for us to get in. I'll signal to the rest of you guys when we have it open. In the meantime, Kayain, take these men and clean out the city like a good cohort does."

Kayain mocks her by copying her silently behind her back with hand gestures. She adds," And after we get back, you get to scrub the showers for the rest of the week." Another of Kayain's wonderful qualities is whenever he is in trouble with the ladies, he tends to get himself in deeper trouble.

Before he could say anything, they heard a loud _whoosh_ noise, like the sound of the wind blowing. And out of nowhere, several figures emerged with a flash of green light. 12 fully armed Rikti warriors materialized out of thin air in front of them, and each had their weapons at the ready.

"Hoo, looks like the party's just begun!" Said Kayain as he jumped into them.

The fire commenced as Kayain charged them. Lu Bu came in shortly after, as he threw a knife and hit the forehead of a Rikti soldier and drew his war axe in 1 swift motion.

Cherry held a psionic barrier up to deflect the Rikti weapons. She lifted a pair of Rikti up when she let the shield down. She lifted them high in the air, and dropped them hard on the ground. Danyel deflected shot after shot with his wind manipulation powers. Diana, skirted across the field faster than any of them, dodging shot after shot coming at her. The others used what weapons or powers they had and began blasting the Rikti.

Kayain and Lu Bu squared off with the fighters in the back

"Hey you!" said Kayain as he threw the finger at the Lead Soldier.

The Rikti shot Kayain square in the chest, creating a large wound. The wound healed almost instantly as Kayain smiled and threw the finger again. The Rikti became angry and pulled out his energy blade.

"That's more like it! Don't make it too easy for me!" he said.

The Rikti and Kayain ran at each other at full speed. Kayain came low, and went for the trip. The Rikti caught it in time, and jumped over it. Kayain, followed up with a series of kicks that cracked through the Rikti's battle armor. The Rikti responded with slices of his own that normally would have severely injured, or disemboweled normal people. Kayain's body however was integrated with his regeneration so well that he developed a natural resistance to bladed and blunt weapons.

Kayain's cuts healed faster than the Rikti could make them, and the Rikti was getting seriously hurt now. Kayain decided to end the fight by grappling him. The Rikti struggled to push him off, and Kayain took the opportunity to catch his right arm, and break it at the joint. If Rikti could scream out loud, this one would have outdone a little schoolgirl. He reached for his pistol with his good arm, and Kayain planted an axe kick to his neck, making him gag. Kayain knocked him out with a finishing kick to the forehead.

The monster Lu Bu, used his Nano-Augmentations to make his skin nearly invincible to most attacks. He was so tuned with his weapon, he was like a champion figure skater with a dance partner on the battlefield. Lu Bu cleaved through his foes like a knife through butter. Shots were focused on him, and were barely damaging him. Lu Bu merely smiled as the frustrated Rikti hit him with their blades, and hardly hurting him at all.

Kat O'9 had brought his animated chains, and they entangled as many Rikti as he could manage, thus ending the surprise attack.

"Good work all," said Cherry. "There is still plenty more though. And while we separate, I expect all of you to clear out all the Rikti you can."

"Aye, Cap'n," said Biggs, "And God be with you… You're still going to hell though."

Biggs usually made statements like that, no one paid any attention to him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Kayain leaped in front of the rest, scanning the area for Rikti. He stopped for a moment to look around from a building top.

"I don't see jack shit… Where could they have gone?" wondered Kayain.

"Maybe we scared them away?" suggested Biggs. "We usually tend ter scare people when we come aroun'."

"Yea, but that's only because we somehow end up setting things on fire. Bad luck I say, and some extreme coincidences," he says as he looks at Kat. "Like that time we were all playing Dungeons and Dragons, and you wanted to make some kind of incredible check. 'What have we got to loose' you said… Next thing we know, _boom_, the hotel is in flames."

"Well," said Kat. "The hotel thing was a direct result of us, I admit, but at least I made my check."

"Heh, I remember that," says DeVall. "He was yelling that out as we all ran out of the building."

"Well, the point being, we haven't scared anyone away just yet. They're probably waiting to strike again."

"Or maybe they're over there," said Kayain. "Attacking that man with a sword."

Everyone turned to look where Kayain was pointing. Indeed there were many Rikti warriors ganging up on 1 solitary man with a sword. He was incredibly good with the blade too. He even got to deflect a few shots with it, back to the shooter. But they were starting to overwhelm him, and Kayain didn't know if he could take them all.

"Let's go help the sap," said Kayain. "We'll need to have 100 kills sometime or another."

They leaped into the fray as fast as they could. Lu Bu turned off the gravity in his suit in mid air, and came crashing down as hard as he could manage. He slammed the ground and shook it violently, causing the Rikti to fly upwards. The lone man was able to keep balance during the tremor, and continued to fight. Lu Bu swung his axe at a Rikti who came down, and batted him back into the air like a baseball. Kayain rushed over to the man and fought alongside him.

"Hey man! Mind if I crash the party?"

"Not at all good sir! HA!" he said to Kayain as he sent a Rikti flying with a mighty swing of his sword.

The battle turned quickly with the 5 of them joining in. DeVall blasted as many as he could, then was tackled by a group of Rikti monkeys.

Kayain leaped over and started tossing them off as fast as he could. They pounded on him until he was unconscious, while Kayain tore them away.

He swore under his breath, and rejoined the fight. And after a few minutes, the remaining Rikti retreated. Kayain dusted himself off and gave a thumbs up to the man, who he finally noticed was dressed very peculiar. He wore simple, wizard-like robes, engraved with emblems that Kayain knew to be magic runes. He looked middle aged with snow-white hair in a ponytail, and a trimmed full beard.

"I thank you all," he said. "My team was getting overwhelmed and I arrived as they were defeated. They were teleported to the hospital, and the Rikti ganged up on me."

"Hey, no problem man. But now you have to join my fan club," said Kayain as he grinned. "It's easy, and best of all, today only it's free!"

"Umm… I don't know," he said, trying to change the subject. "Hey, what about your friend there?"

"Oh him? He's already in the club."

"No, I mean is he going to be ok? Or should he hit the hospital?"

"Na! He'll be fine. He just needs a little, shall we say, inspiration."

Kayain picks up DeVall and searches his pack for something. Kayain pulls out a Ziploc bag with a biohazard symbol on it. This bag contains Kayain's most sweaty, dirty, and smelly underwear. It was one that he didn't change after a week of training.

He opens it and sniffs it and nearly gags. He puts the vile thing under DeVall's nose, and instantly he revives choking and gagging.

"See? He's fine," he says as he puts the underwear back and pulls out a picture of himself. "Now you see, as a starting member, you get this autographed picture of me. That's worth a lot where I come from. Then buying more of my endorsed products will earn you points on my website, and you can win more fabulous Kayain things…"

"Well, you see-"

"Oh, well you know buddy, I forgot to ask your name. Mine's Kayain as you can see on my picture there. The big smelly green guy over there is Lu Bu, the little dude is Biggs, the guy vomiting is DeVall, the kinky bondage guy over there is Kat O'9 Killian. Nice to meet you."

The man chuckles and says," An interesting group you have here. My name is Gungir. And once again I thank you for your timely rescue. My team and I-"

"That's fabulous and all, but you dropped my picture."

"Well I don't really want to be in a club."

"Why not? You get prizes when you buy my endorsed product!"

"I'm telling you I really don't need it."

"You're going to hurt my feelings… and after I saved you and all…" Kayain said, looking genuinely sad.

"Please, don't-" he sighs and shakes his head. "Oh, look. Please don't get upset, I'm sorry. Alright, if it will please you I will join your club."

Kayain instantly went back to his arrogant grin and said," Ah, I knew you couldn't resist. Say, we're busting some skulls here, care to join us?"

"Yes I shall, if you'll have me," he said while crossing his arms. "I'm sure my friends will enjoy your company as well once they get back."

"You're ga'damn right about that! EVERYONE loves me… Hey, can I see that sword of yours?

Gungir reluctantly hands the sword to him and Kayain swings it around," My sword Ymirbane is carved from the bones of Ymir. With it, I fight to please the gods, and someday return to my rightful place with Odin as- what are you doing?"

Gungir watches as Kayain stupidly swings the sword around. Kayain finally hands it back and said with a grin," Just checking if it's magical."

--------------------------------------------------------------------

"This thing is huge!" said Solo. "Means I'd better get a move on."

"Please do, the sentry units here were pretty tough," said Cherry. "Danyel, you and Di make sure the perimeter is clear."

"Will do sis." Said Daniel.

"Roger wilco!" Said Diana.

Solo set up the device Tylar gave them, and began to operate it. The device resembled a large laser gun. It was specifically meant to cut into a wall of force with it's own energy. Solo was a field engineer, so he could operate most any device Tylar makes. However, this particular machine gave him the impression he was doing something wrong.

"Hey Cherry, the machine doesn't seem to be working. I think I'm using the most output, but it's not doing anything at all. Not even a small hole in the wall."

Cherry went over to examine the machine. She knew for a fact this was Tylar's most powerful shield breaker. His device supposedly breaks down energy from the molecular level. The gages showed this thing was giving it all it had and more, but the wall of force remained as solid as ever.

"Then it seems we underestimated them again. I'll notify the crew about this," she said as she pressed her wrist communicator. "Cherry, to Valentine, come in."

"This is Valentine," she said.

"Put me on global so the whole crew can hear me as well."

"Done."

"Listen up everyone. We cannot penetrate the Rikti's defenses with our current equipment," Cherry heard laughter somewhere on the radio. "May I ask what's so funny Kayain?"

"He he, you said penetrate and equipment, that was funny."

"Kayain you now have toilet scrubbing duty for 3 weeks."

"AAAW!"

"I want you to work on something much stronger than this Tylar to penetrate- don't even think about it Kayain- the shields."

"Hold on guys," said Danyel. "I can see the flow of Mana in the shields, meaning you were right in assuming that they're using the weapon to power the shields as well. We're going to need a special unit for this."

"In that case, Tylar, I want you to work with Danyel on this one."

"If I may, sis," said Danyel. "I'd like to research things down here on the planet. Like I had mentioned before, there's other magic folk here, they may have some advice for us."

"Just looking for any excuse to stay here aren't you? We'll find a place down here where you can work with Tyler."

"Yea, you're right, I'm looking forward to meeting the wizards. Tylar, you cool with that? Coming down here and all?"

"Yes, that's fine."

Cherry smirked as she said," Ami? I'm gonna need you here too, never know when we'll need you. Please bring your stuff and come with Tylar, he'll need all the help he can get."

"Yes, captain."

Cherry already knew Tylar was silently jumping for joy behind his communicator. Grinning to herself, she wondered if he would keep it together around her. She knew Tylar had never had a girlfriend in his life, and Ami had her own crushes before, but never acted on them. She also knew pairing them up from time to time wouldn't cause trouble, because they both are to shy to admit they like each other, let alone start making out while on duty.

"Ve, I want you to take them when we've found somewhere to stay. I'm sure with our combined technology here we can make something that can break these shields."

"That's a 10-4, sis," said Valentine. "Just gimme a ring and I drop off the cute couple."

"HA!" said Kayain.

She knew that both Tylar and Ami were blushing now. She never teased them herself, but she had to admit it was funny when everyone else did.

"That's enough you guys. Gina, I want you to come with them and protect them."

"Not a problem," said Regina.

"Kayain, I'm going to meet back up with you. You keep doing your thing."

"Heh heh, you said-"

"Kayain, shut up and get back to work."

--------------------------------------------------------------------

When they met back up in the city district, Kayain's group was already fighting more Rikti, and Cherry noticed there were other people there, and one was on fire. She was about to yell at Kat, when she saw that this person was perfectly fine inside the flames, and used them against the Rikti. These other people possessed superhuman abilities. One man was shooting what looked like energy from his hands. Another lady seemed to be healing people instantly, while someone else was manipulating the earth to crush the Rikti. It took a moment for her to take it all in. She had never seen so many super powered people all in 1 place.

"Would you look at that," she said. "There's over 20 of them all here! Each of them with super powered abilities."

Kayain was hard to spot out of the super powered heroes, he looked so natural tossing enemies around with them. A man with a sword noticed Kayain in the air and knocked a Rikti drone upwards. Kayain, axe kicked the bot, spiking it to the ground like a volleyball. She noticed Lu Bu cleaving his way through the Rikti ranks, and parting them like the Red Sea. After a matter of minutes, the Rikti were cleared out of the area.

Cherry approached Kayain, and asked," New friends of yours?"

"Not yet, but sooner or later they'll know my name… everyone does."

"Hello madam, I am Gungir," he said. "Are you a friend of Kayain's?"

"More than that, unfortunately," she replied.

"Hey…" said Kayain.

"My name is Cherry. I'm the captain of the Vigilantes, which are these scurvy dogs you're looking at now."

Gungir nodded to the rest of them and said," Nice to meet you. I would also like you to meet my group."

He presses a small device on his armor, and it keys his wireless microphone. His friends come in as fast as they can. Some can fly, some can run at superhuman speeds, some can teleport, and others can jump high and fast like they can.

"This, is a close and personal friend of mine, her name is Lady Darkness."

"Pleased to meet you." She says.

"HI!" says Kayain with a grin. He keeps his eyes at her chest level as he says, " That was some fancy healing powers out there and all. You were probably the breast- I mean, _best_ healer out there!"

Cherry reaches and grabs Kayain by the ear and pinches it hard as she calmly says," Kayain. Heel."

"OW OW OW! Ok I'm sorry!"

Gungir raises his eyebrow at them and says," Ok. Well. This is my dueling partner, Lord Daniel. I'd have to say he's about on par with me as far as swordsmanship."

Lord Daniel, dressed in decorated armor with a fancy cape attached. He has long, dark hair, and a youthful, hawk-like face.

"Hail!" he said with a small wave. "I saw you on the battlefield, you're pretty good."

"HA!" laughed Kayain. "You should see me when I have my Vindicator weapon. You'll be so impressed you'll cream yourself."

He chuckled and said," Oh, I like your style. So, you're good with a sword you say? I'd like to see you in action. Care for a duel sometime?"

"You're on! But I need to get my real weapon back. Otherwise it's like that feeling you get when you jerk it with your off hand… you know, it feels like cheating on your good hand."

Lord Danyel laughed out loud as he slapped Kayain's back," Oh I can see we're going to get along just fine."

"This man is Sir Bandwidth," says Gungir. He introduces a very large man, also armored like the rest of them. But unlike the rest of them, he was on fire, and no one seemed like this was unusual.

"Pleased to meet you all." He said with a smile.

"Wow," said Kat. "So you're just on fire like that when you want to? Cause I thought for a moment I did that and didn't realize it."

"No, you didn't do this, this has always been my power."

"To set yourself on fire?" said Kayain.

"Yes, the fire protects me from harm, and likewise I can use it against my enemies."

"That's pretty neat," said Cherry. "Kayain, if you want your power back, go set yourself on fire. Please."

"You're not funny," said Kayain as Cherry smirked at him.

Suddenly an extremely tall and beautiful woman teleported in front of them, she had dark purple or blue hair so deeply colored that it appeared nearly black. Her skin was smooth and well tanned, giving her a youthful appearance, but her eyes changed your mind about that. She had coldest eyes any of them had ever seen, as if she was calculating your soul's worth on some sort of an unseen scale. Only Cherry had ever pulled off a meaner looking face then the one frowning right at Kayain.

She was dressed in high combat boots, and a skintight dark purple outfit that revealed more than it concealed. She had a blood red monocle covering one of those cold blue eyes and a long black dark purple cape with gold runes covering it. And yet Kayain had to raise an eyebrow at her. By the look of her face, he knew this was the kind of woman who would annihilate him as soon as look at him, the kind of woman he'd get along fine with, dirty jokes and all.

Everyone was quiet, as though expecting her to attack at any moment. She finally said," So. Are you going to introduce me, or do I have to do everything myself?"

"Right," said Gungir. "You know I don't like when you give that look Anubis."

"Do as you wish." she said and put on her emotionless face.

"This mighty warrior is none other than Lady Anubis. Anubis, like me, shares the same fate of being cursed to a mortal body."

"Indeed. It is as near as I can get to amusement, watching you humans gawk at this form. And- What is that _thing_ doing?"

Biggs, barely reaching her thighs in height, was right at her legs, looking like a dog about to hump a leg. He was grinning broadly because he preferred women that he had to climb.

"How are ya doin' lass? Name's Biggs. I hear ya think yer some kinna god," He hands her a pamphlet. "Consider you turn to the real God, the creator of all Heaven and Earth."

Lady Anubis stares at him and says," I know the creator you speak of mortal. Before I was forsaken to this body, he would take me to Valhalla for poker games with Odin, Santa Clause, and the tooth fairy."

"Really?" he said

"Yes, and let me tell you, him being The Creator of everything, he makes some mean bean dip."

Everyone was quiet, not knowing what to say to that.

"I believe you mortals are also familiar with humor, yes? I'm jesting about all that. But I wasn't jesting about his bean dip. I think it's is heavenly."

"I think I'm in love," whispered Biggs, very loudly.

Lady Anubis looks at the pamphlet and scans it very fast. She raises an eyebrow and says," What is all this? It's all a bunch of random and useless information. Nothing here is biblical… I've never heard of the book of Pod, nor the book of Curious George. And all I see in this part is a phone number!"

She looks at Biggs who makes a phone sign with his hands and mouths the words,' Call me'.

"Well," says Gungir. "I'm glad we're all acquainted. So what brings the Vigilantes out here?"

Cherry started before Kayain could say anything," Well sir, we're trying to find a way to get in the crashed Rikti ship. They have obtained a powerful weapon that belongs to Kayain."

"The Vindicator weapon," says Lady Anubis.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"I've seen it before. A few years back. A man came here with the Vindicator weapon. He did some incredible things with it, and was able to imprison a powerful foe. I had the opportunity to speak with him. He had a magical mark on his cheek that signified who he was. Kayain is it? You too have a magical mark like his. Yours is fire shaped."

Once the weapon chooses a Vindicator, they receive a magical mark signifying who they are. Only those who can see the flow of Mana can see the mark; like wizards, and other magical beings.

"I have a bigger one on my butt, you wanna see?" says Kayain with a smile.

Lady Anubis smirks at Kayain's smile and said," Your ass is already in plain view, mortal. But as you were saying?"

"Right," said Cherry. "The Rikti stole the weapon and are harnessing the power to strengthen their shields. They are also using it to create a rift in space most likely leads to their homeworld. They've already attacked my homeworld, and nearly succeeded in killing the Patriarch."

"Oh, you guys are offworlders then? Welcome to our humble little planet then. Sorry to hear about your homeworld, those Rikti are always up to no good." Said Lord Danyel.

"Do you guys get many offworlders here?" asked Danyel.

"You'd be surprised," he said. "We get all kinds here. Most looking for a place to test their might. Some looking for refuge from their world that persecuted them for having their power. And some… Well some are looking to cause trouble. You'll find most of those guys put away safely in the Ziggurat, our jail."

"Well, looks like we've got nothing much to hide about our identities then," says Cherry. "But about the Rikti, they have a constant source of energy now, and they can easily pull another fleet of ships through the rift unless we get that weapon back. This planet is in danger of a full scale invasion once that does happen."

"Sounds like something major," says Bandwidth. "The same thing happened a couple years ago to our world. Lucky we pushed them back. Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Well, we're going to have to look into this," says Cherry. "We'll need somewhere we can research a way to breach a wall of force with magical properties to it."

"You could go to D.A.T.A, and M.A.G.I. down in Atlas Park's City Hall. I bet they could help you with what you need." Said Lady Darkness.

"We'll also need somewhere to stay, know any places we can go?" asked Cherry.

"Well, there's a lot of places to go in Steel Canyon. Some places don't mind supers, while others do," said Lord Danyel. "If you want, I can help you find somewhere to accommodate you."

"That would be most appreciated, thank you."

"What about money?" asked Danyel. "What do you guys use as currency?"

"Dollars, coins."

"What about rare metals? What kind of metals are valuable?"

"Well, people like Gold, Platinum, Diamonds, Rubies, Sapphires, etcetera."

"Humm… sounds easy enough. I can make those."

Lord Daniel raised an eyebrow at him and said," Make them?"

"Yea, I'm good at alchemy."

He considered this a moment and said," Amazing… Say, I can spot you some cash for now if you can make me a real diamond."

"What size?"

"Any is fine."

"Will a fist size one do?"

Lord Danyel was now very interested. Here was someone who could make precious metals, and in a large size too. If he wanted to he could have a diamond that was the size of a sofa. He would definitely be the talk of the town if he threw a party with a couple of super sized diamonds. But first he had to see what Danyel could do.

He points at Lu Bu and says," Make it the size of his fist, and I'll give you all the money you'll ever need."

"Done."

Danyel couldn't see what the big deal was with diamonds, in Matronia they're used for cutting steel, and other construction work. They had a very low value back home.

"If you don't mind me asking, what do you need to make a diamond?"

"Well in the alchemy I'll be doing, I'll be taking a component and using-"

"We don't need an alchemy lecture Danny, just give him the gist of it," said Cherry automatically.

"Fine," He said, looking disappointed. "Basically I get the components and transform a material into something else. It's not hard work, just time consuming."

Lord Danyel wondered if he really could turn a sofa into a diamond. He'd have to convince him to try later.

"Great!" says Kayain. "While you guys get that done, I'll be responsible for finding the liquor store, and keeping a fresh stock of beer at all times!"

Cherry frowned at him and said," _You_ will not be going out on beer runs. You are to go and get proper food sources."

"Aaw! Can't I get any beer at all?" he asks.

"Just a little," she says, giving him her stern look. And if they have any Champaign, you know what kind I like."

"Fan-freaking-tastic," said Kayain.

Cherry pulled a couple of the Vigilantes aside and said," Go with him please, I expect him to fail."

"Aye Cap'n," said Biggs. "But before we go, I suggest an agreement between us an' Lord Daniel in the form of a contract."

Cherry knew where this was going. Biggs had pre-written, fill in the blank contracts, and took them wherever he went. It always amused her how people signed it without reading his fine print.

She stopped walking, but didn't turn around so they wouldn't see her smile as she said," Make it so corporal. You know what to do."

"Aye Cap'n," he said as he pulled out a contract from his bag. "Now L. D., come over here and I will give you a contract for your payment."

"A contract? Ah, very professional of you."

Lord Daniel read briefly over the contract as Biggs showed him where to write in the words Diamond and Cash Payment. Everything seemed in order to him, and he signed it as Biggs signed in the space named 'Vigilantes Representative'.

"Very good L.D.," said Biggs. "As Cherry has never broken 'er word, your payment shall be received promptly after ya fulfill yer part of the contract."

"Indeed. You guys seem reasonable and fair, and I trust you shall."

Biggs caught up to Cherry, and handed her the contract. As she skimmed through it, everything seemed like it was in order.

"So where's the catch?" She asked.

Biggs pointed to a bit of fine print that could easily be overlooked. It read,' Payment received upon baptism.'

"Ah. You know, you're dastardly, sneaky, and very sticky. And furthermore, you're going straight to hell."


	3. Chapter 3 First day on the Job

Chapter 3: How To be A Hero

Gungir escorted Cherry, while Lord Daniel escorted the rest of the Vigilantes to Steel Canyon. Along the way they got to tour the sights of Crey's Folly, and Brickstown. The sights included car jacking, break-ins, mugging, evil cult-like groups terrorizing the streets, and a giant prison.

"You know," Kayain said as he held an unconscious Tsoo warrior by the shirt. "There's something wrong with society today when criminals are as overt as this."

"Too true," said Lord Daniel. "That's why we heroes have to fight the good fight every day. There's few of us, and way too many of them, so we're always glad to get new heroes to contribute to Paragon City."

Kayain found a flagpole nearby and tied up the Tsoo warrior by his underwear and lifted him up. "Ah, this never gets old. Makes me think of my high school years."

Kayain was not your typical bully back in high school. Every time he graduated to a new school, he would establish his dominance by being a bully to the present school bully. And if anyone defied him, there would be trouble. He wouldn't let it go until total humiliation of whoever challenged him was complete. He would never bully nerds and band geeks; because he knew he could persuade them to do his bidding with no consequence. The school nerds would do his homework and buy his lunch out of respect, and not by fear.

"Ha! Sounds like you had an interesting childhood."

"I always make things interesting," Kayain said with a smile. He looked in the window of a store and saw a box of cereal called Hero-o's. "Hey, who's that group there on the box?"

"Them? That's team is called The Legion of Valor. They've done much to help the community."

"Like?"

"Well, they've lead many a task force against all kinds of villains. They are the biggest street sweepers, and have a record posted on how many villains they've put behind bars. They've been successful twice in rallying the heroes against the Hamadon."

"What's a Hamadon?"

"The Hamadon is a gigantic amoeba-like being, who's origins are unknown. It is the overlord of a naturalist group named the Devouring Earth. Like the name implies, the Devouring Earth are a group bent on consuming everything on the Earth. Their minions are mutated plants, rocks, and even people. They stop at nothing to destroy every aspect of human technology in claim that we're destroying the Earth. But in reality, they destroy more and more in the name of the Hamadon."

"So basically, they're a bunch of super-hippies eh?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. They're bunch of super-hippies who are literally made from the earth. They follow the orders of a giant pile of jell-o with fruit in it, who's goal in life is to destroy the earth and rule the remains."

"And all that's missing is a freedom bus," said Kayain as he shook his head. "Sounds wicked- Wait, you said they beat it twice?"

"Yes. Unfortunately after we defeat it, it revives itself. No one knows how it does, but it will regain strength. We have to stop it when it does, or it will continue to gain power."

"And it cycles over and over. Hoo, that sounds like a pain in the ass. And once it's planted itself, there's no way to get rid of it."

"Nothing we've found yet. It's like an irritating weed, yes."

"That's awful. If that thing spawns and gets on another planet, there's no telling what it could do. I'll need to tell Cherry about that. But anyway about the Legion of Valor guys, they sound pretty popular."

"Yes they are. They make many public appearances all the time. Reporters, journalists, commercials, you name it, they've been there."

"So they'd be the ones to talk to about endorsing Kayain products…"

"Ha! I'd doubt it. In my opinion they're a bit full of themselves. But everyone loves them."

"Now Kayain," said Danyel. "Remember our mission here is to get your weapon and prevent the Rikti from invading. We are not here to make a big scene."

"Well look who's talking," said Kayain as he grinned at him. "You were eager to stay and meet some wizards that you can talk your gibberish to. And me, I love just being me. Which means I must be more popular than– WHOA! Look at the Mazungas on that one!"

A lady hero came flying by in a leather bustier, and a bikini bottom. Kayain's eyes followed her chest as she flew by.

Q'Hagians had 1 word for breasts, and Kayain had about 100. In Q'Hagian culture, when a woman is complimented on her hips or breasts, it's a compliment on her maternal capability. Usually it's a friendly gesture, but Kayain was just a complete pervert.

Danyel shook his head and said," Kayain, I know about the little wager you made, and how this is something hard for you. If you keep staring at women like that, you'll just end up going crazy. So for your own good, stay focused on task"

"But… But…" Kayain made a gesture with his hands and said," Did you see the _size_ of those-"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did. Oh, and speaking of that, I've seen a pair that big last night… Oh that's right it was your sister!" Kayain, in mid-breath stopped as he pointed his finger at Danyel. Very few people could make Kayain shut up, and Danyel was one of them. "And while I get to do your sister every night, you are left cold and alone."

Kayain pinched his lips together and was at a loss for words. He knew Kayain hated hearing about that even more than Cherry did.

Kayain was a very protective brother. He had scared away all Diana's dates she ever had. He and Danyel had always been best friends, and Danyel had always had a crush on Diana.

But like their father, both Diana and Kayain had gained the inherent ability to incorrectly take in signals that people use to let them know that they like them. Danyel was very friendly to her, and she was oblivious to it.

At the time she had a big crush on Danyel's older brother Aaron, but he didn't like her back. He broke her heart one day when he said he was marrying a woman they knew.

They found out later that the same woman he married was the one responsible for purposely exposing Cherry's mother to the psionic material, and causing her genetics to be altered.

The heartbroken Diana decided to try and do blind dates, since she didn't know any guys who liked her. And after Kayain was through with them, they would forever remain blind.

Instead Diana tried a hobby to keep her mind focused. She took up gymnastics and fitness. She found she was exceptionally good at it, and competed in events. Eventually Danyel took an interest in it, and asked for lessons.

During these sessions, Diana found him to be kind, smart, attentive to her, respectful, and funny. She started to really like him, and was still oblivious to the fact that he liked her back.

He found the perfect opportunity to confess that he liked her; she was a bit surprised at first. She was more worried about what their families would say. Danyel was especially worried what Kayain would say. At the time Kayain could snap him like a twig.

She decided to go out with him in secret, so no one would make a big deal. After a few dates in secret, she started to fall in love with him.

After many more secret outings, she finally took him to her room at night where they made love for the first time. Early morning, Danyel's mother came to visit Kayain's mother. They chatted for a while and had breakfast. She decided to say hi to Danyel and went to Kayain's room. Kayain said he didn't know Danyel was sleeping over because he never called. But the day before, he was with Diana at the gym. Danyel's mother went to Diana's room to ask her where he was, and caught them both in bed. Kayain heard a shout, came running in, and was scarred for life.

Kayain, now very pissed off, pointed a finger at him and said," Well you… You're… an asshole!"

"Well, my dear sweet brother, on that note," said Diana. "I will take this time to inform you that me and Danny will be making love every night while you're on your little bet. Rest assured I won't be quiet either. Shall I give you the details, dear little brother?"

"NO! I don't need to hear about- OH DEAR GOD I THOUGHT ABOUT IT!" he said as he ran around shaking his head.

"He's too easy," she said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

After a short walk off the train station, they had walked down a staircase to see Atlas Park and all its beauty. There was a large, white house looking structure, with white columns all around the outside. The structure was elevated on top of beautifully chiseled marble surfaces. In the front, there was a giant statue, as tall as a 30-story building. The statue had Atlas as he carried the weight of the world on his back, signifying the hero's glorious burden. There were many other statues dedicated to heroes surrounding the area. Each statue was proud looking, and full of life. Cherry had to stop for a moment at a statue to take in its beauty.

"This is beautiful. I'm a big fan of the arts myself."

"Ah yes, they take good care of it," said Gungir.

"But next to this Paragon City could use a lot of work. There's street crime everywhere!" Said Cherry.

"Very true," said Gungir. "They outnumber us greatly. And I am always grateful to see heroes such as you and your team. Every day we have to deal with these problems. And every day for me comes with great satisfaction that I knew I made a difference in the city. Remember, there is no deed to small, and no deed goes unappreciated. Heroes can always find-"

"I'm sure that's all very nice, but is that City Hall?" she said, interrupting him.

He grumbles a bit and says," Yes, that's City Hall. It was designed like the White House with the city's heroes in mind. Atlas Park itself is a hero haven. Supers from all over the city come here for their business. On top you'll see a cape, decorated like a flag. That cape is Statesman's cape. He and the Freedom Phalanx long ago- Hey, are you listening?"

"What? Oh sorry, no. I'm admiring everything in at the moment. I'm sorry I interrupted you to stare at something. I feel like Kayain now."

He sighs and says," Never mind, let's just go."

Cherry sees heroes littered across the plaza, each doing their own business. She sees a group of heroes all tuning in to a radio and dancing along the fountains. Some heroes are debating with each other, while others are showing off their powers to some of the rookie heroes.

Gungir smirks as he sees her expression and says," Just business as usual. Traveling the galaxy, I'm sure you've seen worse."

"Yeah I have."

"Can you hear the broadcasts?"

"No I can't."

"Let me see your communicator. Now how do you adjust it?" Cherry shows him how to search for frequencies. "Ah! Here we go. This will help you hear important broadcasted information."

Cherry puts the earpieces back on and listens for a bit, and makes a face in disgust as she hears the important information.

"_LEVEL 3 BLASTER LOOKING FOR A TEAM_!"

"_HOW DO YOU FLY_?"

"_WHERE IS THE TAILOR?"_

"_CAN ANYONE SPARE INFLUENCE FOR ME?"_

"_PARAGON DEFENDERS ARE RECRUTING! ALL DEFENDER SUPERGROUP! SEND ME A TELL IF YOU'RE INTERESTED!"_

"_WHERE IS THE TRAIN?"_

"_COSTUME CONTEST STARTING IN 10 MINUTES, WINNERS GET 10K INFLUENCE!"_

"_HOW DO I TURN ON TEAM CHAT?"_

"_DANCE PARTY UNDER ATLAS!"_

"_CAN SOMEONE TELEPORT ME TO THE TRAIN!"_

"_HOW DO I FIND MY MISSION?"_

"_WHERE ARE THE CIRCLE OF THORNS? I NEED TO BEAT 10 OF THEM."_

"_HOW DO I GET TO KINGS ROW?"_

Cherry turned off broadcast chat, and gave Gungir a scornful look. Gungir surprisingly smiled.

"You jerk! You did that on purpose!"

He chuckles as he says," Well, maybe."

Raising an eyebrow she said, "Oh I see. So the gods _do _have a sense of humor."

Gungir merely continued to chuckle. Cherry shook her head and continued toward the HQ, when suddenly a heroine in a skimpy costume suddenly approached her.

The lady was much taller than she was, and had a figure like Diana's. She had blond hair, and blue eyes, and a huge Diana-like grin.

"HI!" she said enthusiastically. "My name's Celeste Windbow!"

"Ah…Hi? I'm Cherry," said Cherry, looking a bit surprised.

"I just started an exclusive all girl Super Group!"

"That's…nice."

"We're called La Femme Liberte!"

"Good for you."

"I couldn't help notice, since you're a girl and all-"

"Ah, you noticed too?"

"That you are a perfect candidate for my new Super Group!"

"Seems as though I meet all the criteria…One: A female."

"Yes you do! And that's why I'd like to personally invite you to our exclusive Super Group!"

"Why?"

"Because we need more members! And since you're a girl, you'll fit right in!"

"I see. Hey look… I'm sure that would be fabulous and all, but I'm currently the captain of a… Well, I guess you guys could call it a Super Group."

"Aaw," she said, looking genuinely unhappy. "Well, can I at least add you to my friends list in case you change your mind later? That is if you want to be friends."

"I guess so. I mean you seem harmless."

Celeste smiles again and puts a hand on Cherry's shoulder.

"Gosh, you're so nice Cherry," she says as she runs her hand down Cherry's arm. "And you're so pretty too. Wish there was some way I could change your mind."

Cherry, feeling extremely uncomfortable now, steps back and says," OH! Well, umm… Saylookathetimegottago!"

"Ok Cherry," She said as she pulls Cherry close for a very intimate and bone crunching hug. She puts one hand on Cherry's bottom and says," We'll keep in touch."

"Ok! Let me go now!" She says as she struggles free. "Okseeyagoodbye!" She says with a nervous smile and a wave with her fingers.

She runs to catch up to Gungir, but instead sees him stopped nearby with an odd expression on his face. It's as though he's trying to hold back laughing.

"What did you see?" demanded Cherry.

"Oh. Nothing." He said, stifling a chuckle.

"It had better be nothing! And if you tell anyone about that nothing, so help me-"

"I won't tell anyone," promised Gungir as he held his hands up defensively.

Cherry shook her head and said," This place really is messed up. The first person who hits on me is a woman. _A woman_! If Kayain ever found out he'd never let me live it down."

Gungir, still holding back his laughter, neglected to tell Cherry that there was about 5 or 6 other heroes spying on that little scene. He continued to escort a shaken looking Cherry towards City Hall.

The inside was nicely decorated with hand crafted rugs, more commemorative statues, and white marble walls. There was clerks busy typing away behind their desks in the front. There was the Hero Registry, the Super Group Registry, Information Desk, and the Influence Network desk.

"Where is this science facility you were talking about?" she asked.

"D.A.T.A. is downstairs, and so is M.A.G.I.," he said.

Gungir led her down the stairs to the Origin hallway. The hallway was spacious, and there were 5 double doors, 2 on both sides, and one straight ahead.

They went into the doorway labeled D.A.T.A., and looked for the person in charge.

"Hello, my name is Jared McCulley, nya, can I help you?" asked someone from a desk.

"Yes," said Cherry. "I need to speak with whoever's in charge. It's very important."

"I see. You'd be looking for Rick Davies of course, nya. And the boss, nya… he's out at the moment. But, I can I be of some assistance to you? Nya."

The man reminded Cherry of a native bug on Matronia called the '_Dureig_', aka; the nerd bug. This bug resembles a stick bug, a shade of off white; and made funny noises when around the female of its species.

"I hope you can. You see, the Rikti acquired a very powerful energy source from us, and we need your help to get it back. We're offworlders, and we'd like to share our knowledge in beating them."

"Offworlders, eh? Well, Miss-"

"Cherry."

"Thank you. Well, Miss Cherry, to be honest we were already aware of the Rikti situation, nya. But at the moment we need not worry about it."

"Why?"

"Well, nya, as you can see, there is plenty to do around here. There is a lot of work to be done, and so little time to do it. I'm afraid that when it comes down to it, nya, we have to choose what kind of projects we work on next. And if it's a choice between creating a counter weapon against some super villain doomsday device, or piercing a near impenetrable force shield, well I'd say, nya, we're gonna go with the immediate problem."

Cherry had dealt before with pencil pushers of this type before. And she knew that playing by their rules was the best way to do things.

"Yes, I've heard of your villain troubles and I understand the problem. And I know you guys are putting in a lot of work day after day in stopping those jerks. But I'm willing to go through the necessary paperwork to get this done. I'll be back later with some genius friends of mine, and you guys can talk soup."

"Excellent! Well, I look forward to meeting all kind of extraterrestrial people of all kinds. Oh Miss, are you a registered hero?"

"No sir, do I need to be?"

"It would help. The people here serve the members of Freedom Corps first. The other folks have to get an appointment, nya ha ha."

"I suppose the appointment time is somewhere in next year."

"HA! If you're lucky!"

"Well I'd better get registered today."

"It would be best. The boss, nya, is very picky when it comes to appointments. When you're registered I can give you an appointment right away."

"I'll go do that now. Thank you for your time sir."

Cherry walked over to Gungir, who was conversing with another hero.

"Well it turns out I need to register. And the boss wasn't there today."

"How unfortunate. Alas, let's get you registered. It's easier to go to Galaxy city to do that. I will take you there."

Gungir escorted her back up the stairway to the office area, where they heard a commotion by a desk. A hero, clad in an orange and blue body suit with a visor over his eyes, was leaning on a desk and talking to one of the female employees.

"Come on! Give me another chance!" said the hero.

"NO! How many times do I have to tell you! NO!" said the female desk worker.

"Pleeeeease," he begged. "It will never happen again! Promise!"

"That's right, it won't. So get lost!"

"But I didn't mean anything by it. It was more out of flattery!"

"You tried to slip me a Spanish fly in my drink!"

"Oh wow, you know what it was?" He smiled and said," So… you used it before?"

"What's a Spanish fly?" Cherry asked Gungir.

"I believe it's a sexuality stimulant. Like Viagra for females."

"NO! I saw the bottle as I reached to pick up my napkin," She said. "Now leave me alone, I'm working!

"Look," he said. "Just give me one last chance. One more date, and I'll show you the time of your life!"

The secretary sneered at him and said, "Drop. Dead. SECURITY!"

"All right, all right I'm going now! Sheesh." He walks off and calls out," Your loss babe! You could have ridden the Proto express!"

"GET OUT!"

He stepped away and immediately turned to some large breasted super heroine and smiled again.

"Hey there-"

"Get lost creep."

He goes to another lady and says," Heya sweetcakes!"

"Bite me."

And another," Is it hot in here, or is it just you?"

"Leave me alone looser."

He snaps his fingers and points at another one," Heaven must be worried; they've lost an angel."

"Get bent."

He slicks his hair back as he approaches another woman," Bad girl, go to my room!"

"Piss off jerk!"

Cherry stops staring and walks faster," Hurry before he sees me-"

"Hey Gungir!" they hear him call out.

"Oh no."

Gungir turns to look to the man named Proto.

"Hey Gungir! You remember me?" said Proto.

Gungir rubs his chin as he tries to remember this man," Mmm… Vaguely. Where have we met before?"

"Task force delta! We were with Synapse's Task force remember?"

"Oh yes," he said. "I do remember you now. You were the one who wouldn't leave poor Lady Darkness alone."

"Yea! You do remember!"

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

"Can't a guy say hi? We were comrades before."

"Indeed. And it is nice to meet old comrades again."

"Say, who's your cute lady friend?"

"This is Cherry, captain of the Vigilantes. She's an offworlder here on business."

"That's nice and all," he says ignoring Gungir and approaching Cherry. "Pleased to meet you miss. Say, you got a little Spanish in you?"

Cherry knew this old setup, and said," Half."

"Mmm… that's nice. Come with me and I'll give you the other half.

Cherry frowns and says," Oooh, I haven't heard that a million times already."

"I've always had a thing for Spanish chics. Say, maybe I can show you around Atlas? You know, see the sights, have a few drinks."

"No thanks. I'm busy."

"Come on! You know, I'm an ok guy once you get to know me!"

"Really. I mean no."

For a guy like Proto-man, the word No was just another way of saying,' I'm playing hard to get. I want you badly. And when you keep trying I want you even more!'

"Maybe seeing the sights isn't your thing. Maybe a movie? Dinner at my place? I live in a 5 star hotel!"

"NO! Can't you see that no means NO!"

"Did I mention I'm also in a band? I'm a real rock star!"

"I have to go now."

"Oh I see how it is. I was right about you," he says with a smirk. "I mean I should have known better when I saw you with Celeste."

Cherry freezes and slowly turns around.

"Yea I thought there was something fishy about you," said Proto smugly. "I'm friends with Celeste, and she let's me watch sometimes. You don't mind if I watch do you?"

"Look pal, I don't know who you think you are, but if you dare tell anyone about that I _will_ hurt you! And stop looking at me that way! I am, in no way involved with Celeste! She just ran up to me and harassed me!"

Proto thought about it for a moment, and figured that there is no use listening to what women have to say, because he's always right.

"I understand now," he said. "You haven't come out yet. Well in due time then."

"I AM NOT-" Cherry stopped when she noticed everyone was now looking at them. She calms down and says," Nothing to see here. Everyone back to work."

Her eye twitches irritably and says," Listen you… I am not a lesbian. I am also not available. I wouldn't go out with you anyway! Now get the hell out of my way before I REALLY HURT YOU!"

For a split second, Proto almost considered that Cherry actually meant No. It was a ridiculous thought and he shoved it away.

"I can see you're a bit upset that I revealed your secret in public, so maybe I'll call you when you cool down a bit? What's your number?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------

The next few seconds for Proto-man was a blur. As he wakes up in the hospital, the only thing he remembers a very painful feeling in his mind. For some reason his whole body ached (his groin hurt especially). He does remember the look in Cherry's eye right before he blacked out. He had to admit she was pretty cute when she's angry.

He concluded that when women hurt you, they do that cause they want you. It goes back to grade school thinking (there is still a long drawn court dispute on whether Proto man passed grade school or cheated his way though). When a girl slugs you in the arm she does that because she likes you. In this case she knocked him out, and he figured she wanted to play hard to get.

And in Proto's philosophy,' All women are easy'. It just took some time, and you had them eating out of your hands. Cherry would probably be no exception to this rule. He was very sure he'd meet this hot little fireball again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Lord Daniel had lent Kayain, Biggs, Lu Bu, and Kat one of his utility trucks to pick up the food they wanted. Lord Daniel had picked out his hotel, which was a 5 star hotel. Lord Daniel really lives out in the country in a mansion, and he stays here during times when he's fighting crime in Paragon City. They separated from the rest to let Daniel negotiate their rooms.

As Kayain went down the isle with his shopping cart, he looked up and down the isle with a blank expression on his face.

"Hey guys… anyone remember what was on that little list Cherry gave us?"

The list had mysteriously caught fire on the way.

"I'm sorry. I don't remember," said Lu Bu.

"I didn't even get to read the list. Funny how that happens sometimes," said Kat.

"Aye lad. Nor I," said Biggs.

"Well shoot. Lemme try and remember."

Having Kayain think about things was almost as futile as trying to start a building generator with a hamster in a wheel.

"Nope, not a darn thing," he said.

"I do remember somethin' though," said Biggs. "Didn' she say somethin' about, oh… Beer?"

"Yes she did."

"Aye, then that's probably what she wants."

"But she said Champaign too, and maybe some real food to go with it. You know, food you eat with Champaign, and candles…"

_I'm going to try mind control now_, thought Biggs. _He's not supposed to to be doing the whole thinking thing after all._

"Ya may be right, beer, but I also think she just, beer, wants a bottle for herself. Beer, I wonder what she'd say ifn we brough', beer, too much food, while we will, beer, be gettin' room service."

Kayain raised an eyebrow at him and said," But Cherry always makes it clear that it's better to have and not need, then need and not have."

This may be harder than he thought.

"Yea, beer, you're exactly right. We'll be needin' some kinna supplies. An I, beer, would recommend the essentials. Somethin' we need all the time, that goes well with our 5 star meals we'll be, beer, eatin."

He could tell Kayain was starting to look a little confused.

"Yea… wha? Whoa, wait up, back track a bit." Kayain scratched his head and said," You're speaking a little fast, and it's distracting. Maybe to be on the safe side we should get nothing but beer, and go from there."

_It worked_, thought Biggs.

"How much do you think?"

"Ah, don' matter. Lord Daniel's payin. In our agreement he gave me his credit card."

"In that case we'll need more shopping carts."

Moments later, they all returned with shopping carts. Lu Bu had 2 carts in each hand.

"All right boys, let's get busy!"

At that moment 5 gang members from the Hellions came in the store. One was wearing an overcoat with a concealed weapon inside. The store wasn't very busy at the moment, so they approached the store clerk without notice.

"Listen up," said one as he revealed the weapon in his coat. "Give us all the freakin' money inside the register or yer dead. And don't even think about calling security, cause we already took care of them."

Kayain and his crew were unaware of the robbery in progress. Kayain however was looking at the many bottles they had. He took interest in the big bottles being sold, and decided to get some.

"Biggs! Heads up!" he said.

Kayain tossed a few bottles over to Biggs, which he caught easily and tossed them into his cart. Kayain sent a few more over to him and a few over to Kat. Kayain looked over to Lu Bu, who was calmly studying the hardest liquors he could find.

"Lu Bu! Think fast!"

Kayain tossed 2 heavy bottles as hard as he could at Lu Bu. Lu Bu stood up quickly and said," OK! I'm thinking! About what?"

The bottles sailed over his head, over another isle, and smashed into the armed hellion and another, knocking them out.

"What the-" Said one Hellion. "Who threw that? What dead man threw that?"

"Sorry about that!" they heard someone call out from around an isle. "I'll pay for that!"

"Oh you damn sure will! Find him!"

The hellions split up and looked down a couple isles, and one of the three noticed them in the liquor isle.

"They're here! They're tights! Get em!"

Kayain paid no attention to this odd statement. He thought if they wanted to get tights they may have to go down to a clothes store.

"How about this for Cherry?" said Kat as he was showing a bottle of wine.

"Lemme see that, toss it here," said Kayain putting his hands out.

Kat threw the bottle across the isle, and caught the Hellion in the side of the head, shattering the wine and knocking the guy out.

"Oh, my bad." Said Kat as he goes over to the guy.

"HA! Look what you did!" said Kayain.

Another Hellion came running toward Lu Bu who was looking in the large chilled section. The guy charged Lu Bu with his knife drawn, while Lu Bu calmly continued his search.

"Ah, this ale will do nicely," he said as he noticed a bottle of Liver-B-Gone brand liquor.

The hellion charged him as he opened the glass door, and ran straight through it, cutting himself all over. Lu Bu picked him up by his collar and looked at him.

"Hey you, I saw it first!"

The guy weakly holds his knife up at him. Lu Bu headbutts him and knocks him out.

"Humph. I said this ale was mine and I mean it."

The last Hellion sees them and all the wreckage.

"Y-You'll pay for that!"

Kayain waves his hand dismissively and doesn't look up as he says," Yea, yea I know, charge it to our card."

Meanwhile Biggs was climbing the shelves and trying to reach some liquor bottles from the top shelf. As he reaches the top, he pulls on the shelf too hard and causes the shelf to start toppling over. Biggs jumps off and knocks over the Hellion as he does. All the bottles smash on the Hellion, barely missing Biggs.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that lad. Are ye' all right?"

The stunned Hellion notices shelf wasn't completely knocked over. It had been attached with a cord to the shelf in the next isle. He tries to mumble something as he sees a big heavy case on the riser falling slowly down.

"Hey pal," says Kayain. "Are you ok?"

The heavy case falls off onto his groin and lower stomach.

"Oooh, that's gotta hurt," says Kayain. "Hey, I think we've done enough here… let's get these guys some help then we'll get outta here."

Kayain and the rest of them approach the nervous looking clerk.

"Hey man, sorry about the mess. I think we hurt some gangster-looking dudes back there. And we'll take all this booze, and pay for the damages."

"You saved us!" said the clerk.

"Oh. Well I guess so, I mean buying all this beer probably would be good for business. And I promised I would pay for things."

"Thank you sir! You're a good man."

"Hey, no prob. I'd be glad to buy even more beer from you guys. And about these guys on the floor… well just tell 'em I said sorry."

Kayain gets his stuff bought, and pays extra for the damages. The police come in, and see the Hellions on the floor.

"What's going on here?"

"Everything's under control officer," says Kayain. "The donuts have not been touched yet. As a matter of fact you should get them now because they're still fresh."

"What? Oh, you're a hero then. Have you apprehended the suspects?"

"Yup, everything is fine like I said," he said as he held up a bottle of beer. "The 'suspects' have been detained."

"Good. A fine bunch of heroes you are."

"That's me, a regular classy guy."

The officer sees his carts as he goes out to load his truck.

"Having some kind of hero party?"

"Oh no sir," said Lu Bu. "This is our snack."

They all loaded up the truck and noticed the Police dragging out the 5 Hellions.

"You know guys," said Kayain. "I can't help but think we were missing something."

The officers throw the Hellions into the back of the cars and drive off.

"Oh! Now I know. We forgot Cherry's Champaign. Biggs, go inside and get it."

Biggs trots off to go back for more booze. Kat smiles and says," I think we're on a roll today. Nothing important got set on fire this time."

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Lord Daniel had suggested a nice penthouse suite on the upper floor. The suite had many bedrooms that could accommodate them and their crew.

Kayain requested a room all for himself. He didn't want any distractions to make him loose his bet. Regina agreed to help bring the equipment down, and in addition he requested that none of his posters, magazines, or edible underwear be brought with her (unless she wanted to wear them, which was totally ok with Kayain).

"I _like_ this room!" said Diana. "It's so… fluffy!"

"I knew you'd like it," said Danyel. "That's why I picked it for you, love."

Diana admired her new room. She really enjoyed fluffy objects, and this room was full of big fluffy pillows. The color of the room was appalling to any guy. Danyel found it especially appalling, yet he chose it because he knew Diana would love it. He also knew he'd be working hard, and would only really have to come in here for the basic needs; bathroom, changing, sleep, and sex (and by what Diana said, there will be a lot of that).

Diana jumps on him and hugs him. Danyel nearly topples over, being that she is taller, and stronger than him," You're the best Danny!"

She pecks him on the lips and he says," Yea… Ow! Ok, ok, but please don't break my spine!"

"Sorry sweetie! I'm so happy!"

Danyel liked when Diana was happy. She had a natural curve in her lips that made her look like she was smiling all the time. He thought it should be a crime to ever make her upset. But on top of all that, when Diana is happy, she has ways of making him happy.

"And I know _someone's _getting a little special something later tonight," she said.

"Are you gonna make me a peanut butter, catfish pizza with extra pickles?"

"YES!"

Danyel smiled and moaned as he embraced her again.

Lord Daniel came in and said," Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Oh no, we were talking about the room," said Danyel

"Good. I hope everything is in order?"

"Yes, everything is in order."

Lord Daniel had used his influence to get them a very nice penthouse suite in the same hotel he was staying at. The suite had 8 bedrooms, a large living area, and 4 additional rooms. Lord Daniel was a little confused on rooms, and needed to clear it up with Danyel.

"There was something I wanted to ask. It seems to me that there isn't enough rooms for as many people as you're accommodating. You've got the extra rooms for equipment, and there doesn't seem to be enough rooms for everyone."

"Humm… you got the list?"

"Yes, it's here. There's You, Diana, Cherry, Kayain, Lu Bu, Biggs, DeVall, Solo, Regina, Tylar, Ami, and Kat. Knowing you're with Diana, that leaves you 3 rooms short."

"Oh. It seems I haven't explained things. You see Lu Bu sleeps in the bathroom."

"He… what?"

"He prefers the dark, humid, smelly, awkwardly angled sleeping room. It reminds him of his old home in Aarrg. Back on the ship he sleeps in the locker room. More specifically the women's locker room," Danyel says as he smiles. " He has a thing for lavender."

"I see. What about the others?"

"Kat sleeps in the closet."

Lord Daniel folded his arms and said," The closet?"

"Yea, the closet. He's real deep into the whole meta physiological Zen bullcrap. So he sleeps in funny positions; diagonal, upside down, against all kinds of weird objects. He's always been like that. He's a bit odd that one."

"Indeed. I suppose another one of your members sleeps on the pool table?"

"Nothing wrong with that. But no, I'm talking about Kayain and Cherry."

"Oh," he said, looking a bit awkward," Are they-"

"Yea I'm forcing them to share a room. Kayain requested a room all to himself with no, heh, distractions from his bet. Normally I'd let him, but I'm paying him back for ruining my stamp collection. The bum kept trying to mail his farts to people he didn't like."

"So they're not-"

"Well, I'm just doing what Cherry asked me to. She wanted to do this to make him loose his bet. Kayain hates to loose. He really does. I think she'll make him loose."

"What are you talking about?"

"They made a bet back on the ship. Cherry said Kayain can't stay focused, and he thinks he can. So in order to prove it, she and him made a bet that he stays, well you know, celebrate, clean, pure and whatnot. If he can't, then he is her personal slave for a full month. If he can, then he gets to take nudie photos of her."

"Cherry is your sister isn't she? You're not bothered by this any?"

Danyel considered this a moment and said," No. She brought it upon herself. It's what she gets for being so competitive with him."

"Well I did notice their constant bickering. I was under the impression that she couldn't stand him"

"Yea, it seems that way."

"But seriously Dan, you're not conserned that she might loose this bet, and have to take naked pictures for Kayain?"

Danyel shrugs and says," It's like this… Cherry and Kayain have been at each others throats since grade school. They've both lost a lot of dignity through their silly bets." Danyel chuckles and says," Although I have to admit him loosing and having to take a shower in a storefront window was hilarious. But besides that, I know Cherry plays dirty sometimes. That's why I'm putting them in the same room."

"So you _do_ care, in a way though."

"In a way, yes. Plus she said she'd make Kayain wear a maid outfit. I wanna get some pictures."

"So you put them in the same room so she can make him loose. I assume this means she'll be seducing him and breaking his will. And you're ok with this behavior?"

"Yes," he said simply. "You see, unlike Kayain, I'm not as overbearing towards my sisters. They like to be problem solvers. I am still naturally protective, but I always try and do it respectfully."

"But we're talking about your sister seducing a man."

"Given the circumstances I'm sure it'll be very funny. And besides they- Ah you know what? I think I should just stop now. Too much information."

"What? No, what were you going to say."

"Nothing, just forget it. She would kill me if I told you. Let's just say they've been rivals for way too long now. Funny story that goes with it, you know my mother and Kayain's dad had the exact same kind of rivalry?"

"Really?"

"Yea," said Danyel as he rubbed his chin. "Strange how those things turn out. When Cherry and Kayain started being rivals, my mom and Kayain's dad just kind of stopped. Weird hua?"

"Maybe it's genetic?"

"Didn't know Rivalry was in the genome. But anyway, I think it works out. We have our rooms filled up, and everyone's happy except Kayain. It's a win-win situation for me-"

Danyel was cut off by his communicator.

"Hey Dan! What floor are you on again?"

"Twentieth floor. Just head left on the elevator and we're the first suite on the right."

"That's a 10-4 good buddy."

"Kayain's on his way with hopefully the food."

"I don't see why you insist on bringing your own food," says Daniel. "I mean you get food here served up professionally."

"Actually it's more for Cherry. See, she doesn't trust folks. Could be poison and whatnot. Nothing like a healthy dose of paranoia, eh Dan?"

"I suppose not. Have you made many enemies?"

"Let's see… The entire empire of Aldonia, nearly every bounty hunter guild in the universe, not to mention the galactic rangers, half of the Terran colonies, and about 200, no 300 guilds. And how could I forget-"

"I get the point. You guys are very popular."

"Oh and I believe the bounty on our heads is something like 5 billion credits. And 8 billion for Cherry."

"Lovely. Say I've got to take care of some errands, so will you guys be alright till then?"

"Sure, I think I can handle it."

Danyel was in fact third in command. Given time, he could handle most anything. Even a disaster waiting to happen, such as Kayain.

"Hey, open up! I'm here!" said Kayain.

Danyel goes to open up the door as Kayain lugs in grocery bags. When he puts it down, Danyel hands him a piece of paper.

"What's this?" said Kayain.

"The grocery list. I made a backup copy."

"Why'd you-" Kayain looks at his bags. "Oh… how'd you know?"

"Always be prepared I say. I assume there's absolutely no food in there whatsoever."

"Well… we did get a bag of beef jerky."

"Am I to assume we will all live off your one bag of beef jerky?"

"We'll take tiny bites."

"How about instead you go back to the store before Cherry comes back and starts taking big bites out of your face? And I put a small fire resistant seal on this list, so there will be no excuses."

"Right… say when Cherry comes back, how about we just say there was a sale or something?"

"You can't hide things from her, you know that."

"Yea but if _you _say something, then maybe she won't have to read my mind!"

"And why should I do that?"

"Cause! We're like, in-laws now! We're practically blood now!"

Danyel folds his arms and says," If you want to put it that way, then that makes you my younger brother. So I _order_ you to tell her yourself as your superior officer and your older brother."

Kayain grumbles and says," Only by 2 months…"

"And furthermore, I want you to help Regina out in carrying our stuff."

"She's just bringing a bag."

"And do whatever she says."

"Aaaw!"

"Now hurry off, all of you before she has you strung up by your ears. And Kat, I know you like that I was just trying to make a point. So get going!"

They all hung their heads as they left the room. Danyel closed the door and smiled to himself.

That went smoothly, he thought. Now to enjoy myself.

The bottle of Champaign floated out of the bag to him. He caught it as the top flew off. He took a big swig and coughed. He took a look at the year and remembered he had no idea what the current year was here. He also didn't know how they calculated time here. And he usually went by Matronian time; 28 hour days, 492 day years.

Might be better if it wasn't convenience store bought brand, he thought. Hopefully they'll bring back some stuff on that list. And why is it so cold in here?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Gungir said he had to leave on important business. Cherry knew better though, he didn't want to be stuck in the waiting room. She spent about an hour filling out paperwork in Freedom Corps HQ. She turned in the long paperwork and asked a few questions. So in turn they made her fill out another 30 minutes worth of paperwork for things that don't even apply to her. And then after a 20 minute waiting period someone called her up to let her know she will have an interview in an hour. By now she was getting a strange idea that these guys didn't know what they were doing.

She sat and waited for her appointment, glad that the rest of the vigilantes would have to suffer this fate. There was many different Freedom Corps members. She learned that there was a group who wore red and white tights was called Longbow. A group who wore funny shaped helmets, and used jetpacks was called Wyvern.

Suddenly 2 Longbow members approached where she was sitting. She looked up from her papers, and came into full view of their bottom half of their very tight tights.

"Excuse me miss, are you Cherry?"

Cherry, fully aware of the 2 bulges pointing right at her, blushed and looked up and said," Yes. That's me."

"Greetings, I'm Warden Johnson, and this is Sergeant Longfellow."

Cherry accidentally looked down again, and nearly burst out laughing.

"Is there something wrong?"

stifled" No," she stifled a giggle. "Nothing at… Say nice outfits."

"Thank you miss. They represent Hero corps finest. That's us Longbow."

"That's not all that's long-"

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

"Anyway miss, your interview is with my brother, Dick Johnson."

Still, she did a good job keeping her laughter under control.

"Take the elevator up, go left, and continue down the hall till you reach office number B207"

Then another man in tights, with a huge bulge comes up to them and salutes the warden.

"Ah, it's Corporal Bona. What's going on?"

"Sir, It's a report from Officer Dickends. He says there's been reports of a rapid temperature decrease in the weather. Meteorologists say it's very unusual since winter is almost over, and all the cold fronts have been moving out. As a matter of fact, there was an approaching warm front that seems to have just disappeared!"

Cherry did happen to notice the colder weather today. While traveling, the weather seemed to be getting colder. But she was very distracted at the moment trying not to giggle like Kayain would have by now.

"Meteorologist Wang said that?"

Another Longbow man with a huge bulge approaches and said," Sir! We've received reports about this unusual cold weather coming from the east."

"Ah, 'Slick' Willie. You too? You're getting these bizarre weather reports?"

"Yes Sir! I was with Corporal Peckerwood and-"

Cherry couldn't help it this time. She sprinted down the hall as she laughed.

"Why do people do that? Every time I'm with my squad, people chuckle at something."

"Warden, you have a stain on your suit."

"A stain? Where?"

"On your shoulder."

"Egad! That must be it! Why didn't anyone tell me about that earlier? A stain! Now that's embarrassing."

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Kayain and the rest of the crew took a short drive back to the store. Naturally, they got lost and circled the block several times. Eventually they stopped at a local restaurant for food. The restaurant was named Ding How, and Kayain wondered How Mr. Ding made such good Kung Pow chicken.

"It's weird," said Kayain. "I see a definite pattern in most Terran civilizations you know? Even if they're underdeveloped like these folks, they somehow develop the same traditions and foodstuffs as the Terran colonies back home. And this Kung Pow is awesome."

"What's a Kung Pow?" asked Lu Bu. "Sounds like some kind of Martial arts move."

"Na, it's a style of cooking."

"Oh. Back in my homeworld all of our dishes are named after famous battles... and some not so famous. Like I enjoy 'Mount Blarg!' and I like 'Battle at Aaaouga!', and also 'Eve of AAAACK!'."

"Any particular reason you name food after battles?"

"A simple reason... we name our slop based on which most resembles the aftermath of a battle."

"Nice."

They finished their meals, and went looking for the car. Luckily Kayain remembered that they parked around the corner on a meter that they didn't pay for.

"Wonder if they'll give Lord Danyel a ticket," said Kayain. "Sure would look bad on his record."

"Na," said Biggs. "They'll just give 'em a warnin'."

They round the corner and see the truck, flat as a pancake and covered in water.

"Wow. They sure are strict about parking regulations here."

"Ah, Kat," said Kayain. "I may be wrong, but that huge thing probably isn't the meter maid."

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Cherry knocked on the door of B207, and was told to enter by someone inside. The room itself was spotless. Everything in the room was perfectly organized, and tediously kept. If a grain of dust was found in this room, it was probably shot, hung, and burned for even daring to enter.

"Welcome Miss Cherry," he said. "My name is Richard Johnson, but everyone here calls me Dick. Won't you please have a seat? There is a few things I need to go over with you before we give you your basic hero package."

The man had a voice that could put people to sleep even if he were discussing the bloodiest battle in the history of the world. It also had a kind of nasal overtone, like Ben Stein.

"Thank you Miss Cherry," he said. "Now, let's look at your application shall we? I noticed a few errors that I think need correcting, Hum hum."

The man had an extremely arrogant laugh. The kind of laugh that says he's in charge and there's nothing you can do about it, besides take all his abuse. The kind of laugh that makes you wanna punch him out every time you hear it.

"Such as?"

"Your name."

"What? I did not misspell my name!"

"Well I didn't say you misspelled it, I said it needs correcting. That hero name has already been taken, and you will have to choose another, hum hum."

"But... that's _my name_! I can't just change my name because you guys said so."

"Well, under section 2.329ii, paragraph 2h, We respect the rights of hero privacy, therefore a made up name is necessary to keep your identification."

"But, Cherry is my name. All I want is my name. I don't wanna run around like those folks in their tights who have silly names. I just wanna use my name."

"How about your last name too?"

"No, I never use my last name. Neither does my team…" She stopped and added," Well they'd _better _not. We have many enemies you see, and I'm not using another name or code name. There was a disaster with my team last time that happened."

Cherry remembers the time she made a code name for Kayain. He decided to make up his own name and there was plenty of confusion, resulting in the destruction of a small moon.

"No I just wanna use my name."

"We could spell it different. How about Cheri?"

"No, spelling it with an insufferable I at the end makes it sound childish."

"Good, because that was taken anyway. Hum hum."

"What about Chery?"

"That would be nice."

"Done."

"If it wasn't already taken. Hum hum."

The man was completely frustragting. She clenched her fists and said," What do you suggest then?"

"Well, I could put an L at the end of the name. Cherryl... it's cute."

"I'm not trying to act cute."

"I thought you were 22, you've still got to act cute at that age right?"

"I'm not 22, I'm 220!"

"Oh," he says as he looks her up and down. "I guess that wasn't a typo."

"My people have invented longevity. It makes you live longer, and retain your youthful appearance."

"So you're as old as dirt then, hum hum."

"Why you-"

"Take it easy now, I'll make your name Cherryl, and that will be that."

"Humph. What else did you want from me?"

"This part of the interview is the usual canned questionnaire."

"Is this necessary?"

"Humm," he thought about it for a moment. "No."

"I figured."

"Now why do you want to work here?"

"I didn't know I'd be working. I'm not getting a shift or anything."

"No shifts, just working commission, Hum Hum."

"Then I guess the answer is I just want to save this planet and mine?"

"How did you get your powers?"

"I was born with them."

"Ok," he says as he writes something down, mouthing the words 'mutie'. "In what way do you think you will be an asset to Freedom Corps?"

"Because... I have powers?"

"Well that's that then," he said as he crumpled a paper away and threw it in the trash.

"What was that for?"

"Like I said. No particular reason."

Cherry's jaw dropped at the smug looking man, she narrowed her eyes at him and said," Can we get on with this already? This is wasting my time."

"Now now, just a few more things. First off I need you to sign these papers."

She threw her hands up and said," More papers!"

"It will only take you 30 minutes at the least, Hum Hum."

"Why!"

"It's standard process miss."

Cherry grumbled as she started the paperwork. He had a smug smile on his face as he watched her write.

"It gives you some kind of sick pleasure to know you have this kind of power over me doesn't it?"

"A hero's misery is like first class entertainment to me," he said as he continues to smile.

Consider Paragon City for a moment. Paragon city is the epitome of all heroes. Day in and day out, heroes go about their super powered business. A visitor would probably run away screaming in terror, but a native citizen would not bat an eye at the goings on every day.

A trained citizen knows when not to get involved in hero business. In a city where a mugging is as common as a handshake, they find ways to get around without being in the way of a destructive hero. For heroes sometimes don't know their own strength, and when you get mugged and see a hero, it's best to run the heck away.

Some heroes use explosive energy blasts, some will fire an assault rifle indiscriminately into a crowd. Some will use melee weapons and if you stand too close, you will probably be decapitated along with the bad guys.

Now consider Dick Johnson, A man who works a desk job every day. He comes in for his dead end, no chance of promotion job every day working 50 to 60 hour days, with little or no overtime pay. A man like him looses his personality, his personal life, and more importantly, his zest for live.

On his way home, Dick gets mugged once or twice, and gets rescued by an incompetent hero who usually sends him to the hospital with burn marks, wounds, or decimates his car completely.

It is Dick Johnson's job to write reports on his muggings, and make self-help programs for victims. His bestseller book titled," Everyone's a victim of Hero incompetence" explains the reason the people have become numb to the everyday explosions and fire that destroy the City a little more each day.

The only kind of entertainment his poor excuse for a life has to offer is someone else who is worse off then he is. He makes absolutely sure that this happens.

30 minutes later, Cherry finishes her paperwork.

"There, I've gone through all your stupid processes, your paperwork, your stupid rules... When do I get my Freedom corps badge or whatever..."

"When you turn in all your paperwork to the appropriate department."

"Alright, who do I turn this in to?"

"I think you'll find that that doesn't matter, since the paperwork is outdated and useless anyway, Hum Hum."

Cherry grits her teeth and says," All right you... I am THIS close to-"

"Is there a problem miss Cherry with a L?"

"You BET there is! I wanna talk to your superior!"

"Ah, Hum Hum, well you have to make an appointment," He reaches in his desk and pulls out a huge stack of papers. "All you have to do is fill these out for a complaint request form. You fill out the request form and then you are mailed a complaint form. You fill out the form, and within 2 to 4 weeks we schedule you a meeting with the Chief. It's our most simple process, Hum Hum."

Cherry, sneering at him, hoping he would spontaneously combust says," Are we done yet?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact we are. Welcome to Freedom Corps. Don't forget to tell your allies about our online registration."

"What! You mean you can do this online?"  
"Indeed. You skip all the outdated paperwork, and you fill out an application, and just come in for a short interview in the break room."

She throws her hands up again and says," Why didn't you say anything about that earlier?"

"Because the look on your face now is priceless, Hum Hum."

"I _will _get you back for this."

"You can try miss. There's a waiting list for _that_ though..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Fuming, Cherry comes out of Freedom Corps, swearing she'd do something about them. On her way back to the train she saw a restaurant, and decided to eat. After she ate she was still angry, and decided to get some ice cream to cool herself off.

She stepped outside with her ice cream and was immediately covered in snow, from head to toe. She scooped her way out and looked for some joker who threw a large amount of snow at her. Her eyes stopped in front of a 4 story high snowman with a carrot for a nose, and coal as his eyes.

Normally, Cherry would have called for backup. But today she was having a bad day. The Rikti, the paperwork, Freedom Corps employees, and now it ruined her ice cream.

"That's the last straw!" she said as she pulled herself out of the snow.


	4. Chapter 4 Winter Lord

Chapter 4: Winter Lord

A voice.

Dorian listened carefully and heard the voice again.

So familiar.

He definitely knew the name, but couldn't imagine why he would hear that name so close.

Kayain. 

Kayain was the name of that boob of a vindicator. Dorian had on occasion faced Kayain, and defeated him.

But why would he be here? And where exactly was here?

Jenna my dear, he thought, I expect you heard that as well?

Indeed, thought Jenna, it sounded like the Vindicator's daughter Cherry.

He thought, they are close my dear. Something must be happening.

She thought, I have heard many broadcasts, and I think something is coming our way. I hear talk of one named Arachnos. Perhaps he will find us in our stasis.

Both Dorian and Jenna's bodies were put in a stasis-like sleep. Their bodies were augmented with nano-technology to give them unique abilities.

Agent Dorian Williams, former F.B.I. agent of the Terran Earth colony, long ago had been given a part human part cybernetic body. The nanites in his body specifically can alter his body patterns to be extremely resistant to all forms of damage. He can also use the nanites in his skin to bend light, rendering him invisible to the normal eye, and most sensors. Aerosol particles allow his clothing, and other objects he is in contact with to become invisible as well. His complete integration with the nanites allow him to dodge oncoming attacks with ease.

Agent Jenna Williams, also a former F.B.I. agent, was given a specially augmented body like Dorian. She was also gifted in Psionics, and her special augmentations increased her ability to use her powers.

Both of them were given a com-link in their heads. The com-link allows them to hear radio waves, see images in their mind's eye, and recently Jenna adjusted their links to hear psionic messages.

He thought, Arachnos. He sounds like one of those super-powered people like I've heard of around here.

Dorian and Jenna received many broadcasts scattered from Paragon City. From what they gathered, it sounded like they were on a world with many people with unique and super powered abilities.

She thought, Indeed. One such as him may be interested in us. I will try to reach him somehow.

He thought, Good. If this man should find us, he can awaken us from this stasis. And if the Vigilantes are here, then we must take advantage and make short work of them.

She thought, All in good time my love. For now it is a time of reflection. We must be prepared for the battle ahead.

---------------------------------------------

In all Paragon City, the Hellions are one of the biggest and most prosperous gangs. Their turf ranges from Atlas Park, Galaxy City and even Perez Park. Regardless, every one of them was still street walking scumbags. Although they suffered many casualties through the efforts of super powered heroes, they still go on strong with the aid of the power-boosting drug, superadyne.

Recently, they were about to encounter something a little out of their league. As a matter of fact, there were 3 Hellion members who were about to have the most unusual death that they've ever faced.

The three were in an alley plotting to mug an unsuspecting citizen of Galaxy City. One had a shotgun, one had a baseball bat, and another had his lucky knife.

"Alright," said the one with a shotgun. "You see that broad over there on the payphone? I saw her at the bowling alley, and that broad is loaded. As soon as she comes this way, we nab her purse and get out 'for the tights get here."

"A'ight," said the one with the knife. "Das coo man, da way you pick ya targets. Das smart, what dat is."

"Yea man," said the one with the bat. "You Da man, man!"

"Hey shut up already! You guys will ruin it!"

"Sorry 'bout that man! But you know how I get all excited man-"

"Shhh! Shut up! She's off the phone and she's coming!"

"Hey, was' dat noise?" said the knife guy.

"Prolly the tights just showing off, now SHUT UP!"

They waited and waited and saw no one coming down toward the alleyway.

"Where the hell is she?"

Suddenly, the woman and several other people came running past the alleyway.

"There! Go!"

The three leapt out at her as one yelled, "Gimme da cash you b-"

He wasn't able to complete his sentence, because at that moment the three of them were immediately squished by a huge snowman that was rampaging through the streets.

The world around them froze in place. Everything went a shade of gray like in an old black and white film. Everything here seemed clearer than reality, and yet inconsistent at the same time. Time didn't matter here because it simply didn't exist. When some people had a near-death experience, they say there is a great white light. These guys suddenly understood that that just wasn't what it was like to actually die. Somehow they knew it was in a way some kind of joke.

"Ah…" said the one with a knife. "Whoa, wha just happened?"

"I dunno man," said the one with a bat. "Man, this place is kinda trippy man. Hey man, do ya know where we are man?"

"I uh…" said the one with a shotgun. " Hey, it prolly has something to do with those damn tights!"

"_Actually_," said a voice from behind. "_If you gentlemen will kindly take a look around you, you will notice a very large obstacle impeding your mortal coil._"

The voice matched the man who was standing next to them. Cold, calculating, and hollow. The kind of voice that could cut glaciers in half. The man was tall, had well trimmed black hair, and a pale, sunken face. His eyes were haunting, they seemed so penetrating, as though he could see inside one's very soul. He also wore a very expensive looking suit. It was navy blue, with a white shirt under and a matching tie. He also held a leather looking briefcase in his hands. If it weren't for the fact that the three were so confused, they might have tried to take it. They had a deathly feeling though that doing so would not be a good idea.

"Yo man, hol' up. Who da hell are you? An' where da hell are we?"

"_Who am I? I have many names. But you can call me Death. And it's my grim responsibility to usher you to your afterlife._"

They studied him for a moment, then burst out in laughter.

"Ah ha, ha, ha! Na man, really. Wha's goin' on here?"

A small smile grew on Death's face. He knew this was a typical reaction. Especially when the death was so sudden.

"_I'm afraid it's true._"

"Man, get outta here! You ain't Death man! We're Hellions man, we have all kinna connections to da underworld yo! An I seen Death befo', an you ain't him."

Death didn't take any pleasure in having to reap souls. It was a job that needed to be done, and that was that. However when it came to Hellions, he did tend to crack a smile.

Hellions believe they had connections with the Devil, and the underworld. Death knows for a fact that this isn't so. When it came to their rituals, they were about as good at summoning the spirits as a fraternity house wearing robes while playing Dungeons and Dragons. No one had any real connections to the Devil, or ghostly spirits. Every once and a great while, a lesser demon would talk to them, but Death knew it was only to tell them to go rob a bank or something to keep busy.

There was also many jokes about them in the underworld, and Death had chuckled at a few in the break rooms. But he never told them as such. They always found out in the end anyway.

"_Do you mean in your summer solstice party you had? Ah yes, I believe I remember that. I was there because someone had an overdose of Superadyne. _

"_However I was an uninvited guest. I remember it quite clearly how you guys tried some kind of 'spell' to summon the grim reaper himself. And lo and behold someone turned up._"

"Yea man! So I don' know who you think you is, but you ain't Death. You don't even have the robes, or da bones, or even the… the… aaw, whazit… the… the long sharp thing-"

"_Scythe?_"

"Na, one of those sword things… iz' on a long stick. Iz all curved like."

"_Really. It's called a Scythe._"

"Whateva. You ain't got any of those!"

Death smiled at them, the kind of smile that could freeze your heart, and kindly explained the situation," "_Gentlemen, I can assure you that I _am_ Death. The person you saw at your little drug party was none other than your buddy Andy in a not so cleaver disguise._"

"Wha? That isn't true Andy said he was sick and couldn't make it… he-" A sudden realization came over him. At their party, him and many of the others became very hopped up on drugs, especially the hallucination drugs. And his friend Andy had suddenly and mysteriously become ill with something called Ebola. He guessed it was some kind of cold and it would go away after a while. "Oh. But you still can't be Death. You ain't got any of the stuff ah said!"

"_Incidentally, my good man, There are many Deaths in this universe. My district is the Matronian quadrant, which your planet happens to be a part of. And about my appearance… Well I prefer to take on a more- oh shall we say- modern look compared to the standard hood and bones. I find it's a little less imposing, and a bit more comforting to my clients. I have a big job, and I'm trying to make your afterlife experience as comfortable as I can._"

"Yea, man but…. How can we be dead man? We was jus' in da alley man, and we jumped out to nab some cash man. We can't jus' DIE from jumpin' out man."

"_Turn around please._"

They turned around and saw a giant snowman monster with some liquid stains all around the floor. Death snapped his fingers and the monster became clear like glass. Underneath they noticed the bloody remains of what looked like 3 bodies under the monster's foot.

"Oh Ga-damn man! Dat's us!"

"Sheeeet man! Dat's freakin' disgustin'."

"Yea, what the hell is that?"

Death appeared suddenly between them, startling them and put his arms around 2 of them as he said," _Gentlemen, you were a victim of what I like to call S.D.S. It stands for Sudden Death Syndrome. It happens so suddenly and rapidly, you can't begin to comprehend it till way after. There are several steps to recovery though. First is Confusion."_

One said,"Yo man! How the hell… What the hell is that thing! "

"_Next is Denial._"

Another said," This can't be happenin' man! We jus' can't be dead just like that!"

"_After that comes Fear._"

The other said," But guys, what if he's right? Man oh man! I don' wanna be dead man! I'm too young!"

"_Then comes Anger._"

The first one said," If it IS true, it's all that monster's fault! He set us up, the fugger! Yo guys if we iz dead, we need to get back at dat thing! I say we haunt the asshole!"

"_Then comes Bargaining._"

The other said," Hey man if we IZ dead, don't we get a chance to play da Reaper or somthin like that?"

"_Then Acceptance._"

The third said," Na man, remember our Dark Lord's promise about the afterlife? We served him well right? We should be good in our reign in hell!"

"_You're all doing very well._"

"Wha? Oh sorry Death, we weren't listening. What did ya say?"

"_Nothing really, let's get this show on the road now shall we?_" Death brought his briefcase up and it floated in midair. He opened it and pulled out a laptop and put it on the floating briefcase. He tapped his finger on the laptop as he waited for it to load. "_Sorry for the delay gents, this new Windows OS has been a pain. The computer locks up every once and a while, and I had to reformat it. And believe me, backing up the eternal information on all the souls in this galaxy takes a good amount of time._"

They continued to stare because the only thing they ever learned about computers was how to steal them. He continued," _Ah here we are-_" Death studies their files for a moment. "_Well, how ironic._"

"Wha's ironic?"

"_What I'm seeing here._"

"Na man, I mean wha's ironic mean?"

Death didn't answer that question. Instead he smiled as he turned to him and said, "_Neil Garrison, AKA, Bullet Tooth?_"

"Yea, das me." Said Neil.

"_Let's see,_" he said as he began to type something out. "_I have you down here. Been a Hellion for 5 years have you?_"

"Yea man."

"_Oh, this is not good Mr. Garrison. Not good at all. Lies, theft, burglary, arson, and murder. Those I'm afraid are your good points._"

"Yea man, I did it in the name of our satanic lord!"

"_Well, your 'lord' would like to have a word with you. For various reasons I'm sure._"

"All right! I'm gonna meet my lord!"

"_I wouldn't celebrate too early. I also have here you have a tattoo on your back with his name on it… however I'm showing that it's misspelled. You have Satin, not Satan._"

"Yo… uh… I thought it was the same."

"_No, Satin is a type of fabric. Needless to say it's embarrassing to you and him, and he's not very happy._"

"Uh oh."

"_Moving on now,_" he said as he clicked a small mouse attached to the laptop. "_I have here Gaylord Querry, Aka, Maddog?_"

The other 2 burst out in laughter as poor Gaylord felt totally humiliated.

"AH HA! Your name is, HA HA, GAYLORD QUERRY? BA HA HA HA!" said Neil.

"SHUT THE FU-"

"GAYLORD QUERRY! BA HA HA HA HA!" said the other.

It came as a surprise to find out each other's names. In the Hellion ranks, everyone got a new name, and no one used their real names.

"_Amusing I'm sure. But this is you, yes?_"

"Yes…" he said quietly.

"_Let's see, I've got you down for… you've got the same charges as Mr. Garrison, and more. You've been a Hellion for 3 years? Thank you. Your sentence- I mean afterlife, is also a word from your 'lord'. There's also the issue of the false pentagram you scarred on yourself._"

"What? False? I carved this pentagram on my hand until it permanently scarred! It was a symbol of my undying loyalty to my satanic lord!"

"_Let me see that… Humm I see. Interesting. Sir I'm afraid that is not a pentagram. That is the Star of David. A Jewish symbol._"

"What! Uh oh."

"_Let's continue shall we? Chuck Berry?_" he said as he raised an eyebrow. "_I happen to enjoy his music._"

"Yea, das me. Yo man who else is named Chuck Berry?"

"_Someone from long ago. He played music I happen to like. Classic Rock to be more precise._"

"Oh, classic like… you mean like Snoop dog, Cypress Hill, and stuff?"

Death looked a little confused.

"_No. I mean Classic Rock, in the good old days. Like Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, and even the Beatles._"

"Na man, never heard of dat. Most rock I ever heard is Lincoln Park."

"_What? But Lincoln Park isn't- Well never mind. Mr. Berry you have the same worksheet as these guys. And you've been a hellion for 7 years have you? Thank you. I believe your 'lord' wants to see all three of you. Mr. Berry he wants to see you for being not so, well we'll call it pro-active._"

"What do you mean?"

"_I have down that you robbed a candy store. You stole a few gummy bears. You mugged a 4 year old, and took his dollar bill. You lied about your age by 1 year on your DL. And apparently the only thing you've ever murdered is the English language. But more into your Hellion role, you fainted at the sight of blood during your sacrificial lamb ordeal._"

"You sissy!"

"Shut up Gaylord!"

"BA HA HA HA, Gaylord!"

"No you shut up!"

"YOU SHUT UP!"

"NO YOU SHUT UP!"

"_Gentlemen, please. You have the rest of eternity to argue. I am on a tight schedule however. Thank you._"

Death pulled out a pen from inside his coat. Three papers printed out from the back of his laptop. And he passed the pen to Neil.

"_I had the printer installed recently. Very convenient I might add. Everyone, sign on the dotted line, confirming that all information is correct._"

As each one signed their papers, the paper rolled itself up and disappeared.

"_Thank you gentlemen,_" Chuck handed the pen back. Death clicked his pen twice and it instantly grew into a Scythe. The Scythe glowed with a blue aura and made a _whoosh_ sound with every move. It was as if the blade was cutting through the fabric of time itself.

"_Now if you would be so kind as to follow me._"

"Yo Death! Fore we go to our afta-life an' all, can you tell us what we gonna get in the end?"

Death considered this a moment. Death was not exactly sure what was on the other side. His job was to come in to the world, and usher to the front gates of Heaven or Hell. He never actually went inside to find out.

"_Everyone gets what they deserve._"

"All right! So we'll be one of Hell's minions now! I know because we have served our lord loyally to the end!"

"_Oh, I'm sorry gentlemen. I heard from the receptionist that they weren't taking any more applications in the Minions Department. Besides you don't have the qualifications according to your lifetime resume. But there is many openings in our entry level ET department." _Seeing the confused looks on their faces he added, "_ET stands for their Eternal Torment department. But... You boys might want to check with Human Resources though just to be sure.._"

"What! Eternal torment? But we've been doin' just like he wanted! That's f-ed up man! How can we do all da things our lord said and get Eternal Torment after that!"

Death had a hint of a smile on his face as he said," _You remember how I said it was ironic?_"

"Yea?"

"_Now you know the definition._"

---------------------------------------------

Kayain slapped high fives to his friends and said," Hey Kat, nice job on that spell eh? We really nailed him that time!"

"Yea that was my ultimate level 10 spell!"

"That's awesome! Even Dan doesn't like to do level 10 spells."

"Oh that's because it uses so much energy I won't be able to cast any more spells for the rest of the day."

"What…"

He had managed to levitate the remains of Lord Daniel's truck, set it on fire, and hurl it at the beast. To say the word exploded would be an understatement. The whole city block was covered in snow, oil, and bits of tires.

They turned around and walked right into another Winter Lord beast. Kayain wondered how many there were, because he could have sworn he saw another down the street.

"Well ladies," said Kayain. "Looks like we're back to square one!"

"Yea," said Kat. "And we're totally out of Daniel's car to throw. We might be in trouble."

"That's not the biggest problem on my mind at the moment!"

"Oh, right, the giant 20 foot monster."

"Giant 20 foot monster? Hell no! I'm worried about a 4'11 monster named Cherry, who's gonna kill us if we don't bring back groceries!"

---------------------------------------------

Lord Daniel was pulling his brand new Mercedes out of the hotel's parking lot, as he noticed panic in the streets. He took a look around and saw people running out of the streets in panic.

Uh oh, he thought. No time to suit up, looks like it's just me and my- What the?

Lord Daniel looked up to see the rear end of what looked like a truck falling out of the sky toward him. He reached back and grabbed his sword and flung himself out of the vehicle before the end smashed into his car, destroying it.

That was close, he thought. What the devil could have caused this- Wait… that's MY license plate!

---------------------------------------------

Cherry was cold, wet, and injured. During the fight, several heroes came and assisted her in the fight. Unfortunately she was unable to deflect an oncoming ice shard, and it impaled her thigh. But eventually they were able to drop the monster.

Breathing heavily, she said to a hero," Thanks for your help."

"No problem Ma'm. Say, that looks bad, you'll need a healer."

"Oh this?" she said looking at the hole. "I've had worse, believe me."

Several squeamish heroes turned away as she quickly dislodged the melting ice shard without flinching.

"Oh, yuck… Didn't that hurt?"

"No. Autohypnosis. Through the power of suggestion I can make myself numb when I need to."

Cherry was very tough for her size. She had been burned, frozen, electrocuted, slashed, and squished for starters. These kinds of things are pretty common for the career path she's in, and the reason she still looks the same is because Matronian medical technology is so advanced, as long as the patient doesn't die before they get to the hospital, they are able to regenerate everything from vital organs, to epidermal tissue.

They had several regenerator machines, and the machines could revive someone perfectly to how they were before the injury.

Cherry was just glad for this. She might have been dead long ago without it.

"Well, I might try and look for a healer. But I need to meet up with my team, thanks."

She waved the squeamish hero good bye and looked for her radio. When she couldn't find it, she guessed that she must have lost it somewhere in the piles of snow.

Screw that, she thought. I'll try this other radio they gave me at Freedom Corps. Now how does this work?

"_WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"_

"_I DON'T KNOW!"_

"_FREEDOM CORPS IS CALLING THEM THE WINTER LORD."_

"_I NEED A TEAM! ONE IS OVER HERE!"_

"_OVER WHERE?"_

"_THERE'S ANOTHER OVER HERE!"_

"_WHERE'S MY PANTS?"_

"_AND HERE TOO!"_

"_THEY'RE ALL OVER STEEL CANYON, BRICKSTOWN, FOUNDERS FALLS, AND TALOS ISLAND TOO!"_

Cherry listened to the broadcasts with interest this time. The Winter Lords, they were called. And there was more of them all over the city.

These things were unbelievably large. She thought that such things simply should not be, and had no problem in making them cease to be. And as far as them being alive, she was sure that somewhere in the multiverse, the lawyers of biology were in some court case against the district attorney of physics. But the simple truth was, biology had found a loophole, and it was probably magic.

Another thing Cherry didn't like was magical beasts. There was no reason for them to exist, and yet they went on existing like they owned the place. Their worst qualities were their people skills, which involved mostly skipping the greeting and helping themselves to a bite. In fact, she knew this quite well because she had been swallowed whole twice in her life. Once by a dragon, and another time by a giant carnivorous plant (and for some reason the plant could sing). Each time, the creature regretted it seriously.

But to be fair to the beasts, they were simple creatures that wanted nothing more out of life then peace. And by peace they mean the extermination of everything else that's NOT them.

"_UMM… HI? I NEED A HEALER," _she said on the broadcast.

No one responded.

"_PLEASE? I'M HURT REALLY BAD HERE."_

Still no response.

"_HEY! COME ON NOW! I'M BLEEDING ALL OVER THE PLACE!"_

No one seemed to care. All people of Paragon City know when a healer is asked for; it's only to team up. Healers don't respond if they're already on a team.

Cherry sighs and thinks out loud," I need a doctor."

"Someone call for a Doctor!" said a voice from behind.

Cherry turned to the voices, and saw quite a scene. About 7 guys standing in the street behind her, all in full superhero costume. They all posed as a bright light shined behind them, making them look like a beacon of hope.

"Ok, cue the lights off," said one.

"Squad! Sound off!"

Cherry raised an eyebrow at them.

"Dr. Honor!"

"**DR. PAIN**!"

"Dr. Disaster!"

"Dr. Killem!"

"Dr. Scott!"

"Dr. Demented!"

"Dr. Fransisco-Manuel-Chico-Vito-Paco-Pedro-Juan-Jamie-Loupe-Alfredo Rodriguez!"

They all posed again, and Cherry blinked.

"What seems to be the problem Ma'm?" said Dr. Honor.

"Well I-"

"Lemme guess, you're looking for a super group?" said Dr. Scott

"No no, she needs great mental help that only I can provide." Said Dr. Demented.

"Ay me Amiga, I can protect joo from harm wit my passion!" said Dr. Fransisco-Manuel-Chico-Vito-Paco-Pedro-Juan-Jamie-Loupe-Alfredo Rodriguez.

"**SHE WANTS US TO BRING ON THE PAIN!**" said Dr. Pain.

"Actually I-"

"Having pet problems?" said Dr. Disaster.

"Or maybe digestion problems?" said Dr. Killem.

"NO!" yelled Cherry. "I would appreciate medical assistance."

They all stopped, and looked at each other. They all exchanged nervous glances.

"What is it? I don't like the looks on your faces."

"Well miss, you see," began Dr. Honor. "I USED to be a doctor. But with my size change, I'm afraid my hands aren't as precise as they used to be."

"What! But what about the rest of you?"

"I'm an Archeologist," said Dr. Demented.

"I'm a Vetenarian," said Dr. Disaster.

"I'm actually not a doctor, I wish I was. I'm really a male nurse in a small time doctor's office," said Dr. Scott.

"I'm a professor at a college. Not what you need," said Dr. Disaster.

"**I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT DOCTORING! I JUST BRING ON THE PAIN LIKE DOCTORS DO! I HAVE GLUE IF YOU WANT!**" Said Dr. Pain

"And I, Dr. Fransisco-Manuel-Chico-Vito-Paco-Pedro-Juan-Loupe-Eric-Alfredo Rodriguez, am a very, very sexy doctor of love!" he said as he for Cherry. "Beautiful women, such as jourself, ignite in me a burning passion, to comfort joo, in jour time of need!"

"I'm very sorry about that ma'm, but I can try what I can." Said Dr. Honor.

"Yes, let's see the problem." Said Dr. Scott.

Cherry moved her hand aside and revealed the gaping hole in her leg. Several doctors screamed at the sight, and Dr. Demented fainted.

"OY! Mi Amour! Dat is heedious!" said Dr. Fransisco-Manuel-Chico-Vito-Paco-Pedro-Juan-Jamie-Loupe-Alfredo Rodriguez, as he was dry heaving.

"Call yourselves Doctors!" said Cherry as she folded her arms indignantly.

"Here miss, let me see that," said Dr. Honor, the only doctor who didn't flinch at her leg. "I have some cloth here somewhere. Ah, here we are. I'll make a gauze out of this. Usually I'd tell my patients to wait for an EMT, but you seem spirited enough, young lady, to find a healer."

"All I really need is just to get in contact with my team. I lost my communicator somewhere in that snow. Thanks for the help though… And as far as the rest of your team-"

"I'm sorry ma'm. I just joined their super group today. I had no idea they weren't real doctors."

"**BUT I AM A REAL DOCTOR; OF PAIN!**"

"I tell you what ma'm, I will help you find your team. I'll watch over you till then."

Cherry smiled and said," Sure thing daddy-o. Now according to the last transmission I received they're staying at Deluxe Accommodations, in Steel Canyon-"

Cherry was interrupted by the sound of rumbling down an intersection. Several people were running towards them as another Winter Lord rounded the corner.

"Ma'm I think we'd better take care of this. Please don't overexert yourself."

"I'll just wait here then."

"Good idea."

"Doctors! Let's go!"

They let out a half-hearted warcry as they still were recovering from the sight of Cherry's wound.

"Do not worry mi amour! I weel take care of dis heedious beast for joo!" said Dr. Fransisco-Manuel-Chico-Vito-Paco-Pedro-Juan-Jamie-Loupe-Alfredo Rodriguez. "Or my name isn't Dr. Fransisco-Manuel-Chico-Vito-Paco-Pedro-Juan-Jamie-Loupe-Alfredo Rodriguez!"

"Great."

Cherry hobbled over to a stoop nearby and sat down. She wondered what caused these odd creatures to suddenly appear around the city. She remembered hearing from Danyel's long-winded explanations about magic once that sometimes in certain worlds there is a very strong amount of manna.

Mana, or the life force, is like tapping into your own inner power. Wizards, Sorceresses, Witches, Sorcerers, and other magic folk can easily tap into their own mana, creating Magic. Danyel said that when a wizard goes into training, he learns how to draw your power through a special kind of meditation. Kayain laughed at this point, and made vulgar comments about Danyel's 'meditation' techniques, so instead of hearing a detailed description about wizard training, she got to hear other vulgar comments about Kayain's sister.

Danyel was able to explain that like people, there is World Mana. The spirits of the world and all the lives on it create World Mana. World Mana is very unpredictable, and sometimes it increases one's abilities while on the planet, and sometimes it decreases it. And sometimes, raw World Mana is very unstable, and can have odd side effects on people and things in the world when excess magic is casted. In this case it included giant 50 foot walking snowmen.

Cherry liked the idea of having magic to blame for some disaster like this. She wasn't particularly fond of magic in general. The only wizards she tolerated were her crewmembers. She left Danyel in specific to take care of alchemy, because she trusted him not to obliterate a galaxy with 2 red colored liquids.

Maybe psionics could get rid of them, she thought. I don't think more magic would help, because we might just create more monsters. No, what we need is something that ice would be weak against. And I don't recon giant 50 foot fire monsters would do the trick either. Maybe if we equip more people with flamethrowers… No they're probably pretty resistant to fire, unless it's very hot… Wait! I think I know! It's-

She was interrupted by a sudden tornado of snow that formed in the street next to her. The tornado formed into the shape of a Winter Lord, and it growled as it came to life.

She stared at it for a moment, and it stared back.

She sighed and said," I need a drink."

---------------------------------------------

"Yo dawg, what happened?" said Killa.

"I dunno man, dat was krazy yo!" said Blade

Killa and Blade were two high-ranking Skulls members. They had both gained the rank of Bone Daddy in their group, and were currently on patrol of Perez Park.

Perez Park was the playground of the two major gangs; the Skulls and the Hellions. These two were pro's when it came to taking down rookie heroes, and they loved their jobs. They had everything going well for them…

And out of nowhere some giant snow monster appeared and stepped on them.

"Hey dawg, it's all hazy here. An ah _know_ ah didn't take any dyne."

"Na man, I'm seein' the same thing, yo. Usually when ah take dyne, ah sees some pink elephants."

"Pink?"

"'s gotta be pink man. Ain't no otha colors in elephants."

"_Elephants, my good man, are a shade of grey._"

"Yea, das what I thought. What he said."

"Na, well das easy to say when everythin' here is grey."

"_True, but I can assure you that they are naturally grey._"

"You sure?"

"_Very._"

"Krazy man."

"_Indeed._"

A strange feeling of dread washed over the two Skulls members. A feeling you get like you've just gotten on a train to Hawaii.

"Yo… What's goin' on?"

"_Dear me, where are my manners? Gentlemen, I regret to inform you that you have just recently lost your mortal bodies._"

"What! No way!"

"_If you take a look over that way, you'll find the evidence is overwhelming._"

They looked over to see their bodies crushed under the foot of the giant snowman.

"_My, my, It's been a very busy time, indeed,_" more to himself then the two.

"Sheeet, man! Dat sucks!"

"Yea, dat's not fair!"

"_Oh, but it is fair. Just because it was sudden, doesn't mean someone can cheat their way out of it. And besides if you look at company policy, you'll find that were an equal opportunity Corporation. Male or female, sudden or slow, everyone is taken just the same._"

"Yea but…you can't just… we can't… It just ain't right!"

"_I'm sorry you feel that way. Would you like a copy of our company policy?_"

"No! I don't wanna be dead!"

"_It really can't be helped._"

"Hey yo," said Killa. "I saw dis movie once where dey played da reaper inna game, and if they win they get to come back!"

"Yea?"

"Yea dawg, dey was playin like twista and sheet, an dey got to come back alive yo."

"Ah, das koo dawg! Yo reaper man, we wanna play you inna game for our lives back!"

Death's smiled a bit, and said,"_Ah, the ever popular play-the-reaper clause. Well I can oblige you gentlemen in a metaphorical game of your choice for your lives._"

"Yea so, you'd let us do dat dawg?"

"_Of course. I always enjoy a good game. You have to understand, doing the work I do is seriously dreadful. I usually take time out for a very good leisurely game or two. Of course I enjoy a wager, and for your lives definitely make things more interesting._"

They didn't like the smile on his face as he said 'lives'.

"Yea. Right. So can we do dis now?"

"_Of course_."

"Koo man."

"_Now which one of you will be playing?_"

"Prolly should be you Killa, I ain't no good at games yo."

"Yo, I hear dat, dawg," he said as they did a kind of acknowledgement with their fists in a complicated series of movements.

Death pointed to the left and there was an open space with a table and 3 seats. The two Skulls sat next to each other and Death sat across from them. He waved his hand and suddenly a chessboard appeared in the center of the table.

"Whoa, das some pretty koo sheet man. But wha's this game dawg?"

"_Pardon?_"

"The game dawg. Wha's the game?"

"_Surely you've heard of Chess, no?_"

"Na man, we ain't never heard of chess, dawg."

Death waved his hands and the chess pieces turned to checkers.

"_How about a more simple game of Checkers?_"

"Na. Ain't never played chess neither dawg."

"_Ok… How about a card game?_"

"Na man, I ain't no good at cards."

Death raised an eyebrow at him.

"_So what, pray, ARE you good at._"

"Well," he said proudly. "You should see me at Russian Roulette! I'm the Perez Park champion!"

"_Russian…Roulette?_"

"Wha, you never heard of it?"

"_I have only heard reference to the name. I have never played it. How is it played?_"

"Well you gots to have a six shoota, six bullets, anna dice."

"_Mmm humm…_"

"And den, you take turns an roll the dice, yo, an whateva numba shows up is how many bullets you put inna gun."

"_Go on._"

"Den, you put the bullets inna gun, and you spin da revolver, an lock it whereva. Den you put it to your brains, and pull da trigger. First one dat dies is the looser."

Death cleared his throat and said," _Let me get this straight… you want me to roll this dice. Then you want me to load a revolver with a number of bullets matching the number on the dice. Then I spin the revolver, load it, and put it to my head and shoot. Then if I die I loose?_"

"Yea dawg, that's how you play!"

"_This, my good man, is going to be a VERY long game._"

---------------------------------------------

There was a terrible scream that came from the bathroom. Danyel leapt up from his chair and ran towards the bathroom. He was met outside the bathroom by Diana covering herself in a towel and shivering.

"What happened?"

"It's… It's…"

"Yes?"

"COLD! There's no hot water at all! It's like all the hot water disappeared!"

"Oh I see. That's not good now is it? Why don't you go get dressed, and I'll talk to the manager about this."

"PLEASE! I mean how am I supposed to get clean after I'm all sweaty from exercising?"

"Well actually, I kinda like when you're all-"

There was a rumble, and a noise from outside like bricks falling from a high place. Danyel walked over to the window and looked outside. He sighed and shook his head.

"Well dear, I think I found the problem. There appears to be a giant walking snowman ravaging the city. Looks like he made a pit stop here to tear some pipes out and freeze the water. That certainly explains things."

"Oh, good. I'd hate to think it was a plumbing problem in a nice place like this. I mean after all it's costing us a lot to stay here… Well not really, but I'm sure it cost Lord Daniel a pretty penny anyway."

"Indeed. Well love, I believe we ought to do something."

"Danyel! You're awfully fresh today aren't you?" she said as she dropped her towel.

"I meant about the monster."

"Oh, uh… so did I. Yea, I agree. We can't just have this sort of nonsense. Tearing up the city… I won't stand for it!"

"Yes, but you can't just run out there like that!"

"Why not? I can look after myself. I've faced worse than a snowman!"

"You can't go out without some clothes. You'll catch your death of cold!"

Diana sighed.

"You were just waiting to say that weren't you? Cause you know I always say stuff like that to you."

Diana was indeed a very motherly woman. She was a typical fussy mother when they had children. She always insisted on him, and the children wearing a big heavy coat on a winter planet, even if he knew an elemental protection spell. Danyel knew she meant well. Like how a Tsunami means well as it just comes by to say hello.

She was the kind of mother who went to PTA meetings and would embarrass you at school by delivering a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the middle of class with a not so macho lunchbox, while calling you snookems, or cuddly-wuddly.

The kind of mother who picks you up after school, and gets your attention in a shower cap, with green stuff on her face, and in an embarrassing car.

The kind of mother who would embarrass you on a first date with funny baby pictures, bad habits, and embarrassing personal problems.

But most of all, the kind of mother one's friends say,' Dude, is that your mom?' while you say,' Yes,' and they say,' Dude, your mom is freaking hot.'

Danyel smiled and said," Not really. Well ok, yea I was. But still please put on something before you go out there and majik it."

Diana always called her unique abilities Majik Spelling it cooler made her _feel_ cooler.

"I will. Aren't you coming?"

"Yea, in a bit. I'm gonna make a magical solution here. Hopefully it will be enough to defeat the beast."

"Oh. Well. Please hurry then. I'll be down there fighting the thing."

"Sure thing honey."

Diana put on her uniform and ran to the elevators, while Danyel strolled quietly to the alcohol. He scavenged several bags and pulled out what he knew was Lu Bu's.

Liver-b-Gone, he thought. Sounds just about Lu Bu caliber. I'll need this… oh and this, and all this…

He looked around the kitchen area and found a large container. Then he opened the tops to the bottles and cans. He waved his arms around and liquid magically floated out of a few containers and gathered in the large containers. As he did this, some liquid floated into the container, and some stayed in the bottles.

Once the bottles were all drained of what they could, Danyel concentrated on another spell. The liquid in the container sloshed around as he moved his hands. Then suddenly it compressed itself into a drop. The drop was as consistent as jell-o, so Danyel picked it up and experimentally squished it a bit in his fingers.

Once he was satisfied, he walked back over to the window and teleported himself down to the bottom. Diana came running out behind him.

"HEY! Not fair!" she said.

"Yea I know. I'm so great, aren't I?" he said as he smiled at her.

"You cheated… And what's that you're holding?"

"This, dear, is compressed alcohol. The spell is delicate, and it could explode if it's mishandled."

"Oh… Can I see it?"

"Humm? Oh sure," he says as he carelessly tosses it to her. "Just be careful."

"Ooh! It's so squishy!" she says as she squishes it in her palms. "Oh and I can make fart noises with it in my hands."

"That's nice dear. Oh, here it comes!"

They both turn and see the Winter Lord shambling towards them.

"That's odd. This one doesn't look like the one we saw out the window."

"Maybe there's more than one?"

"Could be. There's plenty of raw, untamed Mana in this world. Not to mention access Mana… and now that I think of it-"

"Umm, dear? We can talk Magic later, here it comes."

"Right! Well when you think you can, throw it at the beast there."

When the beast was close enough, Diana threw the gummy ball as hard as she could at it. It made a little splotch noise as it hit.

"Ok… now what?"

"And now, we duck."

Danyel snapped his finger and magically ignited the ball.

---------------------------------------------

Somewhere down the block, a poor innocent lady was surrounded by 3 hellion gangsters, each sneering and laughing at her.

"You don't want to mess with me," she said, trying to sound convincing. "I, uh, have super powers! And if you don't go away now you will all pay!"

They continued to laugh at her, and pulled out their weapons, when suddenly there was a rumble from somewhere. They cautiously drew back for a moment, and realized it wasn't her. They continued to advance on her, when suddenly a giant snowman head fell and crushed one of the Hellions, while a very large carrot impaled another one.

She stared at her hands in amazement, while the third gangster stared in horror. She pulled herself together and said to him," Yea! I told you so! Go now Villain, before I do some more damage!"

The terrified gangster took one last look at her, and took off. Hardly believing what she was seeing, she sat on a bench next to a man in a nice suit.

"I can't believe that just happened!" she said to no one in particular.

"_Well believe it. Belief is a strong thing._" Said no one in particular.

"I mean, wow! That just came out of nowhere. I bet those tights had something to do with it," she said to someone who wasn't there.

"_Quite possibly._" said someone who wasn't there.

"You know, I'm feeling very lucky today. Maybe I'll get that promotion today too," she said to herself.

"_Lady Luck is a fickle mistress. I wouldn't count on her all the time,_" said someone who was quite possibly herself.

"You're probably right, I shouldn't press my luck. But on the bright side, at least I'm alive," she said dismissively.

"_That's the spirit. Heh heh, I'm sorry, I don't get to use that line much to people alive. Oh, and here come the two deceased now. Please excuse me madam,_" said dismissively.

"Ok, see ya…" she said to nobody. She suddenly realized something was very wrong about the conversation she just had.

In fact, the details of the stranger were all a blur now. She couldn't remember if any conversation existed at all.

---------------------------------------------

Tylar, Regina, and Ami were transported to an area nearby north of Steel Canyon called Boomtown. They were able to maneuver around the area and avoid confrontation with the natives there. They approached the gates and saw the guards block their path to Steel Canyon.

"Guards," said Tylar. "I'll handle this one ladies."

"You sure? You're not exactly Mr. Diplomatic," asked Regina.

"Of course I am! I negotiated that deal on Demetias VIII, didn't I?"

"They chased us out of the city with torches and pitchforks 10 minutes later."

"You can't blame me for things Kayain does."

"Touché. But I'm still saying we should do things my way."

"Nonsense. We'll be fine. Trust me."

"Sure, I'll be over here if you need me."

Tylar was the first to reach the guard.

"Halt! Who goes there!" Said the guard, and to the other guard he added," I've always wanted to say that."

"Ah, the local law enforcement. We need access to the area you call Steel Canyon if you please."

"Uh hua, and you are?"

"Ah, of course, formalities. My name is Tylar Thomas, and this lovely lady is Ami Veal, and the other lady… oh, she's gone. Well, that's just like her to disappear when we need her."

"I see. And what's in those boxes?"

"Supplies, my good man. You see we're fighting the Rikti, and we need supplies to do so."

"What kind of supplies?"

"Well, some of my lab equipment, and a friend's alchemy equipment. Although I strongly disapprove of it-"

"Oh, so you have narcotics and some tech stuff."

"Yes! NO! I mean-"

"Oh ho! So who do you really work for Mr. Toe-Mahs?"

"Well no! You don't understand I-"

"The Council? Sky Raiders? Malta?"

No no! I'm with-"

Suddenly there was a thunk noise like a log hitting a stone, and the guard dropped down unconscious. Regina suddenly became visible behind him, and the other guard quickly drew his baton and swung at her. She easily stepped to the side, and kneed him in the stomach and threw him to the floor. She pulled a tazer off her belt and stunned him. She turned and grinned at Tylar.

"I think my way is easier."

"Humph," he said indignantly. "I could have handled it."

"Sure."

"Really, I could have!"

"Mmm mhm."

"Stop mocking me! I could have."

"Yes, because you're such a smooth operator. I wonder though, if you are you should have had a girlfriend by now," she said while looking over to Ami, making them both blush.

"I-" he started as he raised a finger at her. "I… don't know what you mean by that. Really I don't. Don't look at me like that! Let's just… keep going."

"If you say so."

They continued along the way and met a couple more guards. Each one Regina knocked out while invisible.

Regina was the Vigilante's top spy. She was also Cherry's younger sister. She was by no means her 'little' sister though. She is 5'11, full figured, dark red hair, and tan skin like Cherry's.

And like Cherry she was psionically gifted. But her power was not a mentalist like Cherry, but hers could alter energies around her. She can use the energy around her to bend light, making her invisible to people and sensors. She uses a combination of Martial arts and energy shields to deflect oncoming attacks with ease.

Her other energy powers include using the same energy she can create an instant psi-blade when the situation calls for it.

Coincidently she studied anatomy a lot with Ami, and knew exactly where to strike someone with a blade to for a quick and near painless death. She only needed a second or two to ready a place to land the blade, and that was it.

Personally, Regina tries not to fall into the assassin category unless they endanger her teammates or herself. She is very smooth, cool, and protective over people she cares about. Meaning most people ought to worry about what they say to the Vigilantes when they think she's not there.

"I say, is it completely necessary to knock out each and every guard along the way."

She considered this for a moment. And said simply said," Yes."

"Why?"

"They're gonna stop and ask questions. Best if there are no questions asked. At least not until we reach where we need to be. Trust me, it's their job to interfere and ask questions."

Tylar stared at her a moment.

"What? You like my face? You think I'm pretty, don't you? Kayain told me. When you and him were 'rating' how hot the ladies on the ship were, you gave me what was it… 9 out of 10? "

Ami stopped and raised an eyebrow at Tylar.

"No I did not!"

"Oh so you think I'm not pretty?"

"No! I mean yes! I mean I didn't- OH SHUT UP!"

"Poor Tylar, you're so easy to fluster," she said as she pinched his cheek. "That's why I think you're so cute."

Ami frowned, and Regina looked smugly at her and said," He was embarrassed to say you get a perfect 10, and instead gave you an 8."

"An 8?"

Tylar, turning red again said," Look, we need to get focused here. Can you just do me a favor and not knock out everyone who looks at us?"

"Sure thing boss. I'll let you handle whatever comes our way shall I?"

---------------------------------------------

Cherry was under the foot of the winter lord, struggling to keep her Psi-barrier up. The barrier was the only thing preventing her from becoming a smear on the road at the moment, and the thing was relentless in trying to crush her. She struggled each time the creature pressed down harder, and she was loosing stamina very quickly. Soon she would be so exhausted she wouldn't be able to hold it anymore.

She had always gotten herself into many situations like this one, and never considered that she would really die. She had thoughts about exactly how she'd die, and all of them were Kayain related. Yet here she was, under the foot of a monster, with no way of contacting her teammates, loosing blood and energy, and on top of all that, she had lost her ice cream. That really ticked her off.

She supposed it could be worse. Getting squished was pretty quick and easy. Probably excruciatingly painful for a short while, then it's over.

Suddenly, the beast stopped, and picked her up inside her psi-barrier bubble. She caught her breath for a moment, and threw the finger at it. The beast growled at her and pulled his hand back to throw her, when suddenly a burst of energy came toward it and knocked her out of its hand. She landed on hard on her back, dazed for a moment. She sat up and saw a small group of heroes speeding towards her.

"Nice shot," said one. "You kill the beast, I'll save the damsel in distress."

"Not a problem, come on boys!" said another to the group of heroes behind him.

A man jumped to her at a blinding speed, and landed perfectly next to her. He kneeled down to examine her, and Cherry took in his full appearance.

He was draped from head to toe in some strange dark armor. The armor wasn't just black, it was dark. So dark it seemed to almost absorb the light from around it. It had veins like it once belonged to a living thing. Somehow it reminded her of something she'd seen once only in her worst of nightmares.

The man also had a hood covering his glowing blue eyes, and a black and dark blue cape that seemed almost clear like stained glass.

The man regarded her a moment, and smiled under his hood.

"Beautiful…" he said quietly.

"Eh? Hey mister, who do you think you are!"

"Please excuse me, madam. My name is Talley. Are you alright?"

"Besides the gaping hole in my leg, exhaustion, and the cold, I'm just peachy!"

"Spunky…" he said again quietly.

"Look mister… Talley… All I need is a healer, or whatever kind of hero does that."

"I'm sorry madam. There seems to be no healer nearby. I suggest though that- LOOK OUT!"

Talley pushes her out of the way of a stray ice javelin, and gets impaled in the side. Cherry gasps as he staggers a bit and pulls it out easily. The hole starts healing, and Cherry realizes he's a regenerator like Kayain. Talley snarls at the Winter lord, and Cherry sees a pair of fangs in his teeth.

"Please get to safety madam."

"The name's Cherry. And I really can't go anywhere until these guys get cleared out of my way, so I can get to Steel Canyon."

"What's in Steel Canyon?"

"My crew."

"I see. Can you walk?"

"I don't see why not."

Cherry gets up and moves around.

"Would you like me to carry you to the train?"

"No offense, but there are a very select few who I let carry me. And well you're a bit creepy to me."

"Thank you. And I understand."

Cherry goes to the heroes who are struggling with the beast. A huge tank of a man was under both of its fists and pushing it upwards as the beast tried to crush him. Tally ran over to assist the man, while Cherry focused her energy onto the beast's mind.

It wasn't a real mind she found out. It was a hive-mind. It collaborated with other snow monsters in a collective. Instead she focused on domination of something in specific. She focused and concentrated, and finally dominated it's entire arm. The snow beast looked confused as its right arm pulled off it's left arm, letting the tank man escape. The heroes continued their assault, as she made the beast start punching itself.

Cherry kept good control on the arm, and saved her energy to start dominating the other arm, when suddenly, an ice javelin tore through her chest. She was taken by surprise, and staggered a bit. She turned around and saw a Winter Lord in an alley, trying to squeeze though and throwing shards at heroes.

The javelin had quite possibly pierced her heart this time.

This time, she might _not _recover

This time, she might not get up.

This time, she may actually die.

---------------------------------------------

They say that Death is everywhere. Death himself knows this is not true, because 1) There is only one death per galaxy and 2) Time is a worldly thing. Time does not apply to Death, and this gives the impression that he is everywhere.

Death has inside his laptop everyone's countdown timer till D-day. But sometimes, even Death makes mistakes with someone's time. And sometimes, he visits certain people when they _should_ have an appointment, but it gets changed by the powers that be.

In Cherry's case Death had come out prepared and been disappointed several times. To her enemies it was irritating how hard it was to drop the little woman. But Death had taken a keen interest in her.

Even at birth, she was supposed to die. But her mother nursed her back to health. This wasn't part of the plan at first. But Death did not to look at his e-mail (somehow someone had gotten his address and he was getting too much spam), and didn't get the message. So he was stuck with a lifetimer that was expired with only 9 months on it.

The e-mail told him the child was being reconsidered, and to wait on a new lifetimer. He waited a long time for his lifetimer, and within the time span he was amazed at how many near death experiences she had. So many times she had escaped him, and it intrigued him how this girl went on without a lifetimer.

When he received the e-mail with the new lifetimer, he chose not to look at it. The girl had a remarkable ability to stay alive, and he wanted her death to be a surprise, even to him.

So he packed his laptop, and set off to go meet her again. What he'd really like to shake her hand in person.

When he arrived at the scene, he saw her breathing slowly with a hole in her chest.

_Kayain… please… help…_

He heard her call out psionically. Death wondered if he'd be disappointed again. Best not to get his hopes up he thought. So instead he sat on a bus stop seat, and waited to see if Kayain showed up and saved the day.

And besides, he had infinite patience, and all the time he could eat.

---------------------------------------------

Kayain and the rest of the team were merrily chipping away at the ferocious Winter Lord. At the same time, Kayain engaged them all in an ol' timey Matronian miner song. It went somewhere along the lines of:

_Oh ah wish ah was in Wertonland,_

_Land of Balga-do _(Balga-do, a Matronian word for some kind of animal who's meat is used in fine cuisine),

_If you want some alcohol, you'll get it inna can,_

_Slick Jimmy's is the best,_

_And if you've got one, get it rubbed_

_Cause 'Sally's' beasts the rest!_

_HEY!_

_OOOOOOHHH!_

_AHHHH, Wish Ah was in Wertonland_

_To make a real quick buck,_

_You go into the Loveless room,_

_And have yourself a f-_

"Hey! I'm back!" Said Kat.

"Oh dude, you missed out," Said Kayain. "We must have killed like 10 of them while you went to get yourself a bathroom break.

"I don't think it was 10… I mean I can still count how many we killed on my fingers," said Lu Bu.

"Well whatever. The point is, we killed a lot-"

"This is Tylar, someone copy, over," said Tylar from their communicator.

"This is Tylar, someone copy, over," said Kayain they other guys laughed.

"Oh ha ha, very funny. If Cherry can hear you, you'll be in serious trouble."

"Funny you should mention her. I haven't heard a thing from her in a long while. Don't know where she went."

"In any case, we're already here and we'll be heading to that apartment you are staying at. If you could meet up with us, that would be very helpful seeing as to how we don't know our way around the city."

"Well we're still learning too… and hey, haven't you met up with those snowmen?"

"Snowmen? What snowmen? I don't see what you're- Oh dear God… THOSE snowmen! Oh no! It sees me. I'll get back to you…"

"Tylar, you listen to me! If you don't kill that thing, you will shame our family!"

"What kind of advice is that!"

"Not advice, just stating a fact."

"ARSEHOLE!"

"Heh, heh. I love it when he says that," said Kayain away from his communicator. "Yea so we'd better find him on our locator-"

Kayain stopped and frowned. Lu Bu didn't like when he frowned like that, because he knew something was seriously wrong. And if Kayain was serious, it was Serious with a capital S.

"What is it Kayain?"

"It's… I think…" he said as he was concentrating on something. His eyes went wide as he said," Oh NO! Cherry's in trouble! You guys! Try and keep up!"

Kayain took off as fast as he could in his Jump suit. The others tried as hard as they could, but Kayain shot off much faster than any of them could. Soon enough, he disappeared around a corner, and they couldn't find him anymore.

"Ah! We lost em," said Biggs. "An we don' have a map of this place… AH HELL! It's Kayain we're talkin' about! He can take care of it, right lads?"

They all nodded and mumbled their agreement.

"So… what do we do now?" asked Lu Bu.

"Best to stay outta trouble, I say. Come on lads, let's go get some beer!"

---------------------------------------------

Being a normal person in a city full of super powered people can sometimes be frustrating. You've got super villain jerks who want to blow up the world and rule the remains. And you've got some who just want everyone to suffer, for reasons of their own. And then you have heroes…

Wilbur worked at the Paragon City tram station. Sometimes he would get to pilot the Yellow Line, sometimes the Green line. Here, he's seen Paragon's finest, and the regular street walking scumbags.

For Wilbur, heroes could be just as bad as villains. Sometimes he'd see some mobster looking people along the docks just chatting away, when suddenly some hero would come in and blow them away in 1 blast. It was a bit scary to him how one person could have that kind of power. He also saw a hero rescuing a cat from a tree for an old lady. The hero tore the tree out and shook the cat. Unfortunately for the cat, the hero had super strength and launched it into orbit. And sometimes the aftermath of hero fights leave buildings looking like a tornado has come through (which in some hero's cases is pretty literal about the tornado).

But there was one thing heroes almost never messed with, and that was the trams. That was why he liked his job. The only hero contact he ever had was telling them to quiet down in the back of the train. And the only powers he had to deal with was some high pitched winy blaster who missed his stop.

Life was good for Mr. Smiley. That is, until he looked further down the tunnel towards Steel Canyon and saw a man bounding around the tracks.

Wilbur honked the train horn, and the man kept leaping towards him. He flashed his lights, and the man continued towards him…

Wilbur didn't know what to do. This man seemed extremely determined. He could slam on the emergency brake, but he doubted it would stop in time. He had no choice though. He reached for the brake and pulled the lever as hard as he could. But the man kept coming just as fast.

The man slammed as hard as he could into the windshield, and tore inside the train and knocked him over. The man rolled and came over to the man and said," Are you ok?"

"Yea," he said as he checked himself. "I'm fine ya bastard! What the hell are you doing!"

"Your trains only go one way. I need to get there fast."

"What? Where?"

"Galaxy City."

"Galaxy City! What's so important that you had to go and-"

"Look, I need to get there. Right now. How do I get there?"

The man looked wild. His hair was long, blonde and spikey. His hair and his outfit were full of spikes. This was definitely not a man he'd want to meet in a dark corner.

"All right, all right, it's your funeral if you keep hitting trains on the way. Follow the tracks and-"

"Yo! What's going on here!" said a hero who came in from the back.

"Nothing, nothing. This guy here ran into the train. He seems to be alright though."

"Whoa! Really? No kidding? You ran at the train and flew into it?"

"Yea, but I'm in a hurry-"

"Dude! That's hardcore!"

Kayain smiled a bit and said," Yea it was, but I'll brag about it later. I've got to get to Galaxy city as quick as I can!"

"Galaxy city! Hey I was just over there. I can show you how to get there… on one condition though…"

"What?"

"We go along the tracks, and you plow through the train again!"

"Done. Let's go!"

"Sweet!"

"Hey! You guys can't just- Oh damn they are…" said Wilbur

The two of them exited the train by the broken windshield, and continued along the tracks.

"Proto-Man's the name pal, what's yours?" he said as they both were speeding along the tracks.

"Kayain… Sorry for the rude intro but someone I care about is in serious trouble now."

"'S Cool… I understand how that goes."

---------------------------------------------

The ice javelin melted away quickly as she had fallen over. Her breathing was shallow and rapid as she tried to stabilize herself.

No healers, no team, no nothing, She thought. It's just incredibly vexing to know I've been defeated by a giant snowman. Well they say death is everywhere, and he comes when you least expect it.

"_That's not true. Not according to my daily planner at least_"

You be quiet, I'm in a monologue.

"_Sorry._"

And it looks like there are a few people concerned… what are they saying?

"Oh my God, is she dead?"

"No, doesn't look like it. She's breathing."

"OY! Mi Amore! NOOO! Dis ees all my fault!"

"That looks awful… How is that woman still alive?"

"I don't know... it should have gone through her heart!"

These guys… They all see me breathing. I'm alive damnit! Why don't you fools do something? At least cover the wound, I'm loosing a lot of blood!

"_They really think you're dieing, or already dead. And, I might add, by all rights you should have been dead a long time ago._"

I thought I told you to be quiet.

"_Sorry._"

Death was very patient about these things. Unlike some _other_ deaths, he didn't mind when people eluded him. Everyone meets him in the end anyway. He can be avoided from time to time, but no one can deny him… ever.

Cherry watched as the heroes continued to stare at her. Eventually there would be some kind of action. She believed it would probably be a body bag, since these heroes were about as good at first aid as an elephant was good at limbo.

Suddenly they all looked up and she heard them say there was another Winter Lord, and took off towards it. Cherry looked around and saw in the corner of her eye, the same Winter Lord in the alley finally squeeze its way out, and shambled towards her.

When it was directly over her, it roared at her, and began to lift its leg to squish her.

Well, she thought. This is it... No energy, Lost too much blood, and not even a last ice cream… At least it'll be quick. Nothing to add mister strange voice?

"_I'm watching… something._"

Death, genuinely interested, was not watching Cherry, but was watching the speeding figure coming at her. He slowed down time to get a better look at Kayain rushing down the street.

Kayain, filled with desperation, zoomed across the air with ease, landed, and jumped again a couple feet off from Cherry and the entire scene.

Time itself seemed to slow as Kayain leapt straight at Cherry. The foot of the beast, descending on her, as Kayain flew in slow motion.

Closer the foot came Cherry closed her eyes.

There was a rush of wind, and a feeling like she'd been lifted off the ground. She opened her eyes, and saw the big, muscular chest of Kayain. He held her as tight as he could when they were flying through the air. She smiled to herself and would have sighed a sigh of relief if she could muster the energy to.

Kayain landed hard on his shoulder, and cradled Cherry as he tumbled. He rolled over and flipped up with her still cradled tightly. He immediately jumped across window stills until he reached a rooftop.

Here, he laid her gently on her back and examined her.

"Dear God… this looks awful. Oh no, no, no… Cherry please don't die… I can't- No, I won't let you go! I've got to have something…"

Kayain searched his mini packs on his utility belt. He pulled out some spare Kayain tee shirts, and used them as a kind of gauze.

"Oh shit! It got you in the heart! Ga-damnit all!"

Kayain continued his search, and emptied his pockets and packs until he found what he was looking for.

"Ah ha! A stimpack… You'll be ok now… Please be ok… I don't know what I'd do if you-"

After he injected the serum he held her closely and waited.

Eventually the stimpack started working, and Cherry went completely numb. She looked around a bit and said," Kayain?"

"Cherry? Oh thank God you're still alive… I was so worried."

"Kayain?" she repeated.

"Oh… hua?"

"Can you move my head from near your armpit… you're pretty smelly."

"Oh! Right."

"Kayain…" she said with an impish smile.

"Yea?"

"Thanks for the save, but you didn't have to get all worked up there."

"Hua? Well you just… scared me, that's all."

"Kayain you know it would have taken me a good couple of hours to die."

"But you were hit in the heart! I-" he began, but then remembered something.

Matronians, even half Matronians, have a different anatomy than most Humans and Q'Hagians in the fact that Matronians have 2 hearts. Unlike most species, their hearts actually do regenerate after about 3 years. Many of their kind become universal Heart donors to the other humanoid races in the known galaxy. Cherry had a heart on the left and right side, meaning it would take 2 shots to the heart to do her in.

"I forgot. It's been a while since, well you know… You've been hit in the heart."

"Well I don't mind you being protective and all. To be honest it's cute when you get all worked up over little ol' me."

Kayain feeling a bit embarrassed now scratches his head and says," Ah-ha… Well, you may think that, but I wasn't _really_ worried… I mean I knew it all along."

"Sure Kayain."

"Really. I mean it. I wasn't worried."

"That's right Kayain. You were just pretending to be on the brink of tears."

"Yea… And I wasn't going to cry, that's for sure!"

"If you say so."

"Damn right I do! As a matter of fact, I was actually testing _you_! I was, um, seeing how you'd react. Cause I was one hundred percent sure you would be ok. And, um, I was testing to see if you could, um, remain… calm! Yea, remain calm in a crisis situation."

Cherry smiled and said," Really? Gosh, that was a good test. You almost had me convinced."

"Yer Ga-damn right about that! But seriously, I never panic. I'm as smooth as your cute little behind."

She chuckled a bit and said," So?"

"So…What?"

"So, did I pass the test?"

"Oh yea baby, you know it. And just for the record, we'll keep this between us… don't want to embarrass you or anything…"

"Oh yes, most defiantly don't want to embarrass me. Oh and Kayain?"

"Yea?"

"You can put me down now."

"But, you look all cute curled up, like a cute little puppy."

"Kayain. Down. NOW!"

"Anything you say babe."

He put her down gently on the roof and grinned a half embarrassed, half satisfied grin. She looked at him and returned the smile.

Ever since they were little, Kayain has always been protective of Cherry. It was the part of Kayain she liked the most. While on the outside he seems like a pervert, obnoxious, arrogant, dummy; inside, Cherry knew he was really a big softie. Back in elementary, Cherry was still very little for her age, and there was a mean group of 4th grade boys who would torment her and other little children. Kayain was in 2nd grade at the time with her, and tried to stand up for her one day, and received a beating for it. After that day, he knew what he had to do. He went to Cherry's father for martial arts training the next day. To Rolando's surprise, Kayain was the best student he'd ever had.

Kayain trained and exercised relentlessly for weeks during their Christi-Amna (the equivalent of Christmas in Matronian religion) vacation. And when school was back in session, he had found the boys again during recess. He waited and watched them as they tried to pick on a little boy named Aramos Dunkin, a big time pointdexter who has a very wealthy father. Kayain called them out and told them to leave the boy alone. They turned to him now to give him a beating. Kayain in turn had brought his mother's chili powder and gave them a face full of spice.

Kayain was sent to the principal's office after that. He had not only blinded them, but proceeded to beat the tar out of all 4 of them. But he knew it was worth it, and didn't care about them reprimanding him. Aramos was so grateful that he promised to buy him lunch sometime. Kayain befriended Aramos after that, and many other people like him. He had gained a reputation that day, and realized this worked to his advantage. Instead of picking on someone to get what he wanted, he could have everything he wanted by making lots of friends.

. Later after school, he, Cherry, and Danyel walked home since they lived close by each other. The 4 boys caught up with them on their bicycles, and took off after them.

Danyel was a year older, and in the 3rd grade at the time. But he had also studied Martial Arts. He was not as good as Kayain, but he knew a thing or two at the time.

Kayain told Cherry he'd protect her, and she needed to get away. Cherry ran to a nearby doorstep and watched the whole scene.

The boys were speeding downhill towards the two of them. Kayain whispered something to Danyel and they both removed their backpacks. They waited until 2 of them were close enough, sidestepped, and hit them clean off their bikes. The other 2 went past, stopped, and went after them on foot. Kayain was definitely ready for this, so he and Danyel did some basic takedowns to the boys, and once again, they received another thrashing.

As the days went by Kayain always picked a fight with anyone who would bully the geeks. He made many friends since then, and never paid for lunch again since there were so many volunteers. He also never did his homework, because he had all the hook-ups for the nerds. He could arrange things from dates with cheerleaders, to special prices on computer parts from other nerds he knew. There was no middle ground with Kayain. You either love him or hate him.

His closest friends were always Danyel and Cherry. He always protected them like family, especially Cherry. Most people would get frustrated at Kayain after a while. But Cherry knew the _real _Kayain, and to her, he was always a hero.

"So darlin' think you'll make it to the train in one piece?"

"I think I can manage it. I don't know what they put in these stim-packs, but they could keep a decapitated man alive for a good 2 hours…"

No one knew for sure if this was true. No decapitated man could ever say how long they lived as a disembodied head. But should dead men ever tell tales, they'd say,' That chemical is some strong stuff! I mean it was all in my brain keeping me alive for near an hour and a half! I was getting bored just sitting there waiting for the damn stuff to wear off!'

"Oh yea! Kayain, I think I know how we can take these things out pretty fast."

"What… Have Tylar give them a lecture about quantum physics?"

"No, that would be my next choice though. No I mean since they are made of ice, we should use salt."

"Salt? You think that would work?"

"There's nothing special about these things. I mean they can melt like ice normally does. Sure, giant walking ice blocks don't make any sense at all, but hey, _something_ has to make sense at some point."

"Yea, I think you're right. Hey, the train is over there, I'll take you there."

"Alright… What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Can I carry you again? I really want to get into this super hero role."

Cherry sighed and gave in. She knew he really did want to get into this superhero role.

"Yes Kayain, you can carry me."

"Friggin sweet! Ahem… Madam! You must be more careful next time! I don't want to have to give you a _super _spanking when we get home!"

"That doesn't sound very hero-like to me."

---------------------------------------------

"Bloody hell! There's another!" said Tyler as he rode his little hover moped.

Tylar can compact anything into a small cube. He had even stored his Marley Devinson bike in there.

Marley Devinson is a famous physicist from the Jestinian Empire. It was his pimp-mobile, and the three of them could fit just fine. But for reputation's sake Regina stayed invisible.

"Turn here! We can loose it over there!" said Ami.

They rounded a corner only to see two more down the road.

"Oh DAMN! Where the hell are these things coming from!"

Tylar turned into an alleyway to hide for a moment. He went on his communicator and said," Guys! What the hell is going on here?"

"I dun know lad," said Biggs. "But- oh hol' on a sec… Aye! The Bud's mine! Righ' here! Anyway, these ruddy things came outta nowhere, an started attackin' the city. It's horrible- What! Course' I'm _old_ enough to be in here!- An we're doin all we can fer the city."

Tylar was a bit skeptical about that.

"Where are you?"

"Ah… you see, we are… oh look another one! Gotta go beat em up!"

There was a moment of silence and he said," Heh, sucker. Now gimme another beer!"

"Biggs… you're still transmitting."

"Am I? Oh well, when I say beer, I men' tha'… You're going ter hell son," and he cut his transmission.

"Arg… Cherry are you there?"

"She's with me," said Kayain. "She got messed up in a fight with those things. I saved her! And now she's forcing me to carry her cause you know how hopeless she is without me."

"Kayain, give me that!" said Cherry next to him. "Tylar? You're finally here?"

"Yes, and I say, we're in quite a predicament. We have them on all sides, and they're crawling about the entire city!"

"Tylar, have you tried salt?"

"Salt? What would salt do- Oh! Yes, of course! I believe I have a thawing agent in my holding cube here! I could rig it up with my weapon and deal some damage!"

"Cherry?" said Regina.

"Yea Gina?"

"You got hurt?"

"Yea… did you bring the regenerator?"

"Sure. What happened?"

"An ice javelin impaled me in the heart."

"Oh… And I thought it was something serious."

"Kayain did. He was in tears-"

"NO I WASN'T! You said you wouldn't-"

"Kayain in tears?" They heard Danyel say. "That's not unusual. Diana told me he cried when Bambi's mom died."

"NO! I was not crying! I was… weeping! Yea! There's a HUGE difference!"

"Bambi?" Said Cherry. "Say, didn't we see that _recently_ on a Terran Disney network?"

"Yea!" said Danyel as they heard Diana laughing in the background.

"Ok, ok, enough making fun of Kayain for crying-"

"WEEPING!"

"About Bambi. Seriously, use the defroster, and tell me how it works. Danyel, where are you?"

"By the hotel. Me and Di have been cleaning out the monsters in the area."

"I need everyone to regroup by the hotel. We need to hurry and get these monsters off the streets. Does everyone hear that? That means you too Biggs. Get yer ass outta that bar and get back to the hotel!"

"Aye Cap'n!"

"And Tylar, just find your way somehow. I'm not familiar with the city, so I can't help you with directions. I'm sure you'll find a hero somewhere who will help you."

"I'll keep an eye out for one- Oh! Here comes another! Tylar out!"

Tylar looked out the alleyway and saw a Winter Lord with a hero in its hands.

"Tylar! We have to save him!" said Ami.

"I'm on it," he said as he revved up his nerd mobile.

The hero was slammed down on the ground and pounded by it's huge fist. The man lay in the crater, bleeding slightly and looking very hurt. The Winter Lord blew into it's hands and formed an ice block. It continued until the ice block was wider than itself. The hero opened his eyes to see the monster raising the gigantic block above it's head, ready to smash him.

The hero looked momentarily stunned and unable to move. Tylar ran as fast as he could with the defroster in loaded in his weapon.

But right before the stone came down, one of the large arms was cut completely off, making the block fall on it's own head, crushing it. The monster wobbled back and forward, and then came forward about to crush the hero in the crater.

While he was scrambling to get to his feet, someone or something lifted him up, and jumped out of the crater just in time. He turned around to see his rescuer appear, and to find his hand clinging on her breast.

"Oh! I'm- uh heh… sorry. Thank you for saving me."

"You, sir, shouldn't be picking fights with those things by yourself."

"Yes I know but I-" The hero finally looked at her face to face.

Something about Regina's exotic look could definitely turn on a man's libido. For this bruised up hero, it went into overdrive.

"I… I… I'm Daniel… I mean… My name it's… Ah… LORDDANIEL!"

Regina smiled. It always amused her how some guys can be so shy. She thought it was cute, especially when they stutter.

"Well you're very welcome LORDDANIEL! Are you the same LORDDANIEL we heard about on our transmission?"

"Yes'm. I hope so," he said.

"Good, then it looks like we'll be working together. Come on, we need to regroup back at the hotel."

As Regina walked back to Tylar, Lord Daniel clasped his hands together and said," THANK YOU GOD!" as loud as he could in his mind.

"Nice save!" said Tylar. "I say, who is that man?"

"This," she said as she motioned to Lord Daniel. "Is our Landlord, so to speak. He is Lord Daniel, the mighty."

"Well actually I'm not called the mighty," he said as he looked at her smiling face again. "But… You can call me what you like!"

"Oh, good, we have someone who can guide us. Well climb aboard you guys," he said as he pressed a button, making a side bucket pop out. "You two can fit here in the bucket seats.

"Do we _have_ to sit in that?" said Regina.

"Why? Nothing's wrong with it!"

"It's not… well, you know… It's embarrassing!"

"I can understand you not wanting to sit so close to a stranger, but come now Regina, be sensible!"

"No it's not that. I don't mind being next to a handsome young stranger-," Lord Daniel nearly creamed his pants. "But it's just, you have bad taste in style!"

"How so?"

"Could we loose the Beaker and Atom decals?"

"What! Those are stylish in the science community!"

"And how about the 'I heartshape physics' helmets?"

"Safety first!"

"Ok… how about we loose those two bumper stickers? The "Born to Write Equations" one, and the "Heck's Astrologists" one."

"Of course not! It's got a certain… Attitude. Which is what the science community needs! Besides, if people saw my decals and didn't see anything else they'd think I was some sort of dweeb or something!"

"Yea, that would be a tragedy."

"That it would be," he said, missing the sarcasm.

Regina sighed and reluctantly got in the side bucket. She turned invisible just in case they got into a wreck and died. They wouldn't want to associate her dead body with the thing.

Lord Daniel sat awkwardly close to her, and it was more awkward now that he couldn't see her. It felt like when he was crammed in the tram before. Whenever he would bump knees or elbows, he would retract as fast as he could, feeling embarrassed. To break the awkwardness he tried miserably at conversation.

"So…" he said.

"So?" she said.

"So… how long have you been invisible?"

Doh, he thought. That was smooth.

To his surprise she smiled instead.

"About 2 minutes I'd say. And how long have you lived here in this monster ridden town?"

"Oh about 12 years… But the monsters came outta nowhere! We can't explain it."

"I see. Are things always this interesting here?"

"For the most part yes. Super powered humans and offworlders alike. You have some who fight crime and some who make it."

"Sounds like a busy day job. You get paid for this?"

"No, I'm afraid not. My personal money comes from business. I do real estate, banking, and jewelry work."

"That kind of work sounds dull compared to this."

Daniel, managed to smile at her and say," Oh those are hobbies that got me wealthy, _this_ is my real passion. Saving the city day by day, yup that's what I'm all about!"

He could tell even with her being invisible that she was looking at him. He looked forward again.

"Sounds a little like how we do things," she said. "The Vigilante way…"

"The Vigilante way?"

"Humm?"

"You said The Vigilante way, and cut yourself off."

"Oh I was just thinking about old times… My parents used to carry the Vigilante title. They did it just to sabotage the galaxy's biggest tyrant, Rydan Rivek. Instead they accomplished so much against him and saving the universe from a disaster Rydan was about to create. In the end they were the ones who defeated him. They figured they didn't need the group anymore, so they stopped to raise us. Now, we carry the title, and we run things differently. But the Vigilante way has always stayed the same."

"Oh."

"Excuse me you two, but here is where I need your navigation skills Lord Daniel," said Tylar.

"Of course," said Lord Daniel.

Regina sighed again and started peeling off a sticker.

---------------------------------------------

When Kayain had arrived with Cherry, Danyel had teleported them both into the hotel room. They laid her down on a bed as Kayain dressed her wounds. Danyel looked to Kayain and asked," Why didn't you take her to a hospital?"

"Oh geeze man! Are you crazy? We want her to _live_ don't we?"

"Good point. Let's see what we can do."

"Please hurry, the stim-pack may be wearing off any minute now," said Cherry.

Danyel thought for a moment. He was in so many wizarding classes that he never had time to learn the proper healing magic.

"Humm… now you know I'm not good at the healing spells. I do know healing potions. Unfortunately we're gonna have to wait for Tylar on that."

"What _can_ you do for me right now?"

Danyel thought again, and then had an idea.

"Oh I remember now! There was a spell in the Book of Storms, chapter 11 paragraph vii section 3.40-"

"Get on with it!"

"Right. Anyway it's called Oxygen boost. It manipulates pure oxygen to have a healing property and revitalizes you at the same time. Quite useful. Then again, the Book of Storms was written back in the days of-"

"DANYEL!"

"Sorry! I remember how to do it, but I'm not sure I'd be good at it."

"Have you done it before?"

"Well… not really."

"Then how do you know it works?"

"I don't! I'm just suggesting it because it's all I know!"

"Are there any side effects?"

"Oh I don't know… maybe a few."

"I won't suddenly burst into flames, explode, or get maimed in any way will I?"

"Heavens no! The worst that would happen would be a week of insomnia, or light headedness for a while. Although I hear that if it's not done properly it will just combine with the nitrogen in the air. But hey, we breathe in nitrogen all the time anyway, shouldn't do any harm."

"I hope so…"

"Anyway lemme give it a try."

Kayain, rare as it may seem, had a thought.

"Hey Dan… Doesn't Ami use pure Oxygen and Nitrogen for something?"

"How should I know? I have potions to keep me healthy… Not that I don't like the woman, but all her knives and needles scare me."

"It's just… I know I did see some kind of canister she used on Tylar when she was fixing his teeth because I accidentally cracked them with some gadget he told me not to play with… Heh, that was so funny."

"Well I'm not a doctor, so I don't know why people use pure oxygen. Besides, it can't be bad if Ami uses it now can it?"

"I guess not… She called the gas Nitris… Nitris… ah, I forget. But he was acting kind of funny-"

"Here we go!"

---------------------------------------------

"Oh! They're all over that building!" said Ami

"Yes, but they'll be no match for this!" said Tylar as he held his de-thawing gun.

"Go give it a shot Tylar. We need to see if it works," said Regina.

Tylar pulled up close to one, and took aim and fired the gun. The agent came out as a thick greenish fog, and covered the beast. The beast roared and clawed at the air as it started crumbling apart like stale bread. Soon it faded into a pool of water with two coals and a carrot in the middle.

"By Jove, it works magnificently! Cherry! Come in!"

No answer.

"Cherry? Come in!"

Still no answer.

"Kayain? Danyel? Diana? ANYONE?"

"Righ' Behind ya!" said Biggs.

"Oh! You startled me… Where have you been?"

"Oh, you know… here an there…"

"Well listen to me you little troublemaker! You go spread the word that Salt works in destroying the beasts easily."

"Salt? Really? Wow, ah didn' know it would be tha' easy."

"Well it does, and that pile of water you're standing in is the result of mixed salt."

"Tha's neat. Ya got any more of them thawing cartages fer me gun?"

"Yes, I have a few… Here, take two and be off. I need to figure out why Cherry's not responding."

"Ah thanks much lad! May yer time in hell be spent in purgatory."

It was as close of a thanks as you'd get with Biggs.

---------------------------------------------

"AH HA HA HA! Laughing gas! Ah ha! I can't- ah ha- believe I just now- HA HA HA HA HA- remembered that!" said Kayain.

"HA HA HA HA HA! DANYEL YOU IDIOT! HA HA HA! You turned this- ha ha ha- whole – HA HA- place into a room full of –ha ha ha- Laughing gas!"

"HA HA! I know! It's-HA HA- really funny when you think about-HA HA- it!

"IT IS NOT FUNNY! HA HA HA! And yes! I –HA HA- realize the irony!"

"Kayain, go- HA HA- go open a window. HA HA HA!"

Kayain who was on all fours laughing, mustered up the strength to get up, hop over Danyel who was rolling on the floor.

He managed to slow down his laughing to giggles now, and pulled up the shades. Right outside the window was the face of a Winter Lord staring right back at Kayain. Kayain stared for a moment, pointed at it and laughed hysterically.

"BAAAAHA HA HA HA HA! Oh boy we're in for it now! HA HA HA!"

"Yea, we're doomed! HE HE HE," said Diana.

"Hey, hey guys! Watch this -HA HA," said Kayain as he opened the window and plucked the nose off the thing. "Boo howdy! He's really angry now! HA HA HA HA!"

The beast's expression changed from anger to surprise suddenly. The beast began to shatter like glass and melt away. Kayain looked from out the window to the carrot in his hand.

"Whoa! HA HA, look what I did!"

Now that the window was open Danyel managed a wind spell that cycled the air from inside to outside. It took a bit, but they managed to calm down. Which was about when Tylar came into the suite.

"Cherry?" He asked. "Are you- Oh my, that's a lot of alcohol, that must been Kayain. - Are you here?"

"Over here!" said Cherry.

Tylar came into the room and regarded everyone on the floor, and Cherry on the bed.

"Something I missed?"

"You could say that."

Danyel came up to her and said," Eh, sorry sis. Magic's kind of like that. Sometimes you get results you aren't exactly expecting and- OW! Ok, I deserved that. But with the complicated webs of mana involved in even the simplest of spells– OW! Ok I'll shut up now."

"Cherry, your idea worked perfectly. They melted away almost instantly in my defroster," said Tylar

"Wow, that's cool dude," said Kayain. "Because I found out another thing… if you pull of their nose they melt!"

"Err, actually that was me. I saw it climbing to building."

"Grr! Why do you _always_ have to crush my dreams?"

"Because you're a buffoon."

"Well you're a-"

"Kayain," said Cherry.

"Sorry babe."

"So it works?"

"Oh yes. Very well. I'm glad you thought of it."

"In any case, you guys need to go out there and solve this problem. Tylar, you and Ami get that regenerator online before the stim-pack wears off and I bleed out."

"Alright. Then one of you take my weapon and go spray those brutes. Kayain? You want this?"

"Na, I don't like your guns. That one has that ugly logo on it… It says,' Mathlete's of Death.' Not really my style."

Diana raised her hand.

"Danyel?"

"No way. You have your gizmos, I have my Magic."

Diana raised both her hands.

"Regina?"

"Haven't you put me through enough with your hovercycle?"

Diana jumped up and down saying," Me! Me!"

"Lord Danyel?"

"I would, but I'm feeling the same about your car."

Diana waved her hands frantically saying," ME! ME! PICK ME!"

Tylar cringed at the thought of Diana handling one of his inventions. Very reluctantly he said," Dian-"

"YES! I'll do it!"

"Fine… But let me instruct you on it. See this? That's the trigger. Just pull it… You see the gage here? Stay with me now… The gage here means how much ammo you have left… When it goes BEEP, that means you're running low on ammo… when it goes PING, you are out."

Diana, trying hard to focus now was nodding absentmindedly. She said," Ok… BEEP low, PING no… I think I gotcha."

"To reload the thing, you insert- Kayain what's so funny about the word insert? Honestly, I don't get you sometimes. You insert this long shaft into the back hole- Ok what was funny this time Kayain?"

"Gotcha! And don't worry, I'll have it back to you in one piece!"

With great difficulty he handed the weapon over to her.

"Please! PLEASE! Be careful with it! It has sentimental value."

"You can count on me little bro!"

They all rushed back out the door.

Cherry looked at Tylar who still looked worried.

"What? You told her enough so she won't blow the thing apart. Seemed pretty simple to me. And you personally made it idiot proof."

"That's just the thing though… She's proven me wrong before."

---------------------------------------------

"Where are we heading to?" said Diana.

"Some place called Perez Park," said Kayain.

"What's over there?" said Danyel.

"They were nearly overrun when I passed by them, we'll need to help clear that area out."

"Oh, that's a good idea. I get to blast away with this baby!" said Diana. "I didn't know _why_ Tylar didn't want me to have it."

"Maybe because everything he's given you before has exploded. Sometimes it explodes after you give it back."

"That was only, what, 24 times? But who's counting?"

"Here it is guys, Perez Park entrance. What's with the guards?"

"Oh don't worry about them," said Regina. "I'll handle it."

---------------------------------------------

"Look I didn't ask you to follow me," said Super Heroine Ms. World. "And yes I know all about you, you perv. So you got _yourself_ into this mess!"

Ms. World, and several heroes had become trapped in Perez Park due to the heavy Winter Lord activity. Currently her ire was focused not on the Winter Lords, but on the one and only Proto-Man, who had followed her like a stray dog.

"Yea, but maybe if you'd have let _me_ navigate, you wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Listen you little creep! I'm am THIS close to tossing you right into that mess of snowmen over there!"

"Ah… does this mean there's no chance I get your phone number?"

"What I think this means pal," said a hero named VeRt MaN. " Is that there may not be a chance for anything unless we don't get it together right now!"

"Yea. Right. Sure… Say how about after we beat these things, you and I-"

"NO!"

"Clueless," said VeRt.

"We're going to have to fight them sooner or later," said Talley.

"Yes, but we're still going to need more help," said another hero named Mystic Wizard.

"Look!" said Proto-Man. "Up in the sky! It's a bird!"

"So?"

"I'm just sayin'…"

"That's dumb, besides it's a plane."

"No wait over there! It's… It's…"

"It looks like, well who is that?"

"She's HOT!"

They looked over to see Diana posing dramatically on the Perez Park wall with Kayain and Danyel posing next to her. Lord Danyel comes over the wall next to Kayain, and tries to strike a pose..

"Oh man! That chic is soooo hot," says Proto-Man.

"Hey! You were going crazy about me a minute ago and now you're all nuts about her?" says Ms. World.

"Eh? Who are you again? Have we met?"

"WHAT! WHY YOU-"

"Never fear my fellow heroes! I have the solution to all the Winter Lord problems right here!" says Diana. "Now let's see here…"

Diana inspects the weapon to see if she can make it spray in a wider arc. She sees knobs and buttons, all tempting to press, but the thing that catches her eye is the power knob. There were 3 settings, Stun, Kill, and Annihilate. She notices the switch is on stun only. She figures it would be better to blow the things to kingdom come. She happily turns the dial to Annihilate, and takes aim.

"Prepare yourselves! For I will bring swift death to all Winter Lords!"

She laughs as she pulls the trigger.

The vapor comes out so hard, it stays in place as Diana goes shooting off in the opposite direction like a rocket, leaving a trail of defroster behind. Still she hasn't let go of the trigger as she flies off as crazy as a balloon letting out air.

Kayain, looking embarrassed that he is related to her calls out to the heroes," Hey Proto! Over here!"

"Kayain! Hey! Could use a hand over here!"

"Yea, no prob, come on guys!"

"I hope she'll be ok." Said Danyel as he rubbed his temple.

"Say, who was that hottie?" said Proto-Man.

"My sister-"

"My wife-"

"Oh…" said Proto-Man looking a little disappointed because all he heard was 'Wife'. "Lucky man you are."

"Say, didn't I see you guys earlier in Galaxy?" said Kayain.

"Yes. We were on patrol, trying to take down as many of these things as possible… And _that_ guy just showed up and kind of integrated with us," she said as she gestured to Proto-Man.

"Hey! You're kind of cute, what was your name again?" said Proto-Man to Ms. World.

"YOU-"

"Ok, ok," said Danyel. "We're all just going to have to get along for the time being until Diana flies back to us."

"Why, what does she have?" said Mystic Wizard.

"It's a defrosting agent made by her brother. He's some kind of Genie-ass, so you can trust him. It uses salt, and that melts these guys faster than using fire."

"Salt? That really works against these guys?" said Talley.

"Oh yes, Indeed!" says Kayain.

"Makes sense," said Ms. World. "I mean giant walking snowmen don't make sense, but _something_ has to right?"

Suddenly someone rushed up to them at a blinding speed. The man was clad in a blue body suit with a patterned red colored center, and a blue visor over his eyes.

"Looks like you could use a hand," he said.

"Synapse!" said Ms. World. "Does that mean the rest of the Freedom Phalanx is here?"

"Yeah they're here with me. I was scouting when I found you guys over here. The situation is very bad here in Perez. We've got teams at the entry points trying to fend them off from getting any further inside."

Kayain nudges Lord Danyel and asks," Who's ol' spandex boy here?"

"Synapse is his name. He's part of the Freedom Phalanx, a premier super group here in Paragon City. These guys are pretty well known around here."

"Oh, so they're a Souper group?"

"Yes."

"Does their soup taste good?"

"Wha-"

Regina punches Kayain in the arm and says," Boo!

"Hey that _was_ kind of funny," says Synapse.

"See? The man has a sense of humor, unlike you squares I hang out with," says Kayain.

"Heh. What's your name pal?"

"Kayain," he says as he spits in his hand and extends it for him. "Damn pleased to meet ya."

Synapse does the same and shakes his hand," Nice to meet you as well. Hey I'm sure a guy like yourself wouldn't mind if we came and helped your group out."

"Hey I'm cool with that, it's just I might embarrass you guys by taking down more than the entire group combined."

"Ha-ha! Is he always like this?"

"Yup," said Danyel.

"Oh here come the others now!"

Statesman, Positron, Bastion, and Sister Psyche, all the premier members of the Freedom Phalanx, approach the heroes and their comrade.

"Synapse! What were you able to find out?" said Statesman.

"Well most of the other areas are being handled by the younger heroes, but this place is the worst. We've got teams of heroes guarding the entrances so they won't spill over to other zones."

"Good, and what about these heroes here?"

"Mr. Statesman," said Ms. World. "There's winter lords blocking most of the exit points, and they're scattered inside the forest area. We were going to clear a path to the exit point and regroup with the heroes there."

"I see. Do you require assistance Ma'm?"

"We could use all the help we could get, thank you."

"Hey pal! I know how we can beat these things easily!" said Kayain.

"And you are?"

"Kayain's the name, and I've got the cure to what ails you!"

"So what do you know Mr. Kayain?"

"Have you tried a breath mint?"

"Why would a breath mint work on a winter lord?"

"Not them, for you!"

"What-"

"Hey! I'm just joking man! You don't gotta get all serious! What I meant to say was Salt works on these guys."

"Salt… I had heard rumor about that. Is this true?"

"Oh, yes, indeed! I've seen it, we _had_ a defroster spray, and it crumbles those mofos like it's acid!"

"Interesting… That's very helpful sir, thank you."

"Yea, that was all my idea too, cause I'm a freaking genius-"

Kayain looked over suddenly to see Proto-Man smiling and walking over to Sister Psyche. She looked very angry with him.

"Heyyy Sister! How's it-"

"Ahem! Restraining order, remember?" she said.

"Oh… that. Well I'm sure it expired already."

"Not until the next 10 years!"

"Hard to get eh? I can wait."

"HA!" said Kayain. "You got to admit, they guy's got determination."

"The man's a disgrace," said Statesman. " You would not believe the things he has done to try and get into the Freedom Phalanx-"

"Like I said, determination. He- PROTO! Look out!"

An ice javelin came flying at him from behind, and he had no time to react. Regina's lightning fast reflexes allowed her to dash over to him and push him out of the way just in time.

The javelin was easily deflected by Regina's energy shield. She became visible and loomed over him.

"Are you alright?"

"Ah… Ah," he said with a grin. "I uh, thank, uh, pretty lady…"

"You can thank me by never hitting on me. Ever."

"Ah… d'oh kay."

"They're coming!" said Mystic Wizard.

"We can take em," said VeRt MaN. " If anyone gets hurt, I will heal you. If I can remember how…"

VeRt MaN was a very gifted hero. He was born with gifts that never seemed to unlock at puberty like most super powered heroes did. He had tried many medicines to make them work, but they never did. One day, while working out in his favorite gym, he was struck by a bolt of lightning.

If you must know, it was a sheer stroke of luck he was hit by a lightning bolt inside a gym. In fact, what he doesn't know was it was a very bad shot by a weather manipulator right outside the facility.

And the lightning bolt, combined with the weight's metal, some protean bars he ate, and his mom's freshly baked apple pie, at the right angle, caused that one in a million chance to unlock his hidden potential. Besides, most people know that one in a million chances always work out the way they're supposed to be.

The only problem was, over time he mutated more and more powers. Half the time, he couldn't remember how to use specific powers, and stuck with 2 at a time.

"Phalanx! Go!" said Statesman to the Phalanx.

"Assholes! Go!" said Kayain to everyone else.

---------------------------------------------

Cherry was resting inside a small vat filled with a chemical to aid healing. She relaxed and let the machines do the work on her leg and chest. She decided to meditate and perhaps let herself go to the astral plane.

Every muscle in her body relaxed as she fell into a deep trance. She opened her eyes and found herself on the hazy world of beyond.

Here, people would fly, teleport, or run very fast if you had enough power to. There were also doorways, which led to different areas of thought. From those doors she could listen in to nearly anything she pleased. She listened to a conversation between a mother and a boy who had put gum in his sister's hair. She then listened to the thoughts of someone who was planning to ask a lady to marry him.

She listened for what seemed like hours, until she heard someone call her.

"Who's there?" she said as she looked around.

"Are you the one named Cherry, daughter of the Vindicator?"

"Yes… I don't know who you are though. Show yourself before I start firing at you."

"My apologies," said the voice as a woman appeared.

She was about average height, wore a black outfit and had striped green and black hair. Cherry, remembering she wasn't wearing anything while in the regenerator, made a robe appear on her.

"My name is War Witch. I live in this realm now, ever since I lost my mortal body. And you're Cherry aren't you?"

"Yes, but how did you know that?"

"While traveling I hear many things. Someone heard you call out to someone named, Kayain?"

"That's right. I was hurt pretty bad."

"I see. Well I don't know who these individuals are, but they seem to know you. I sensed evil in their hearts, and I tried to overhear what they were planning. I managed to hear them talk about escaping from somewhere and trying to kill you and your team."

Cherry smiled and said," HA! It's about time too! I was wondering when this would happen."

"I umm… don't know if you heard me right, I just said someone was plotting to escape and kill you and your team."

In Cherry's experience, everywhere the Vigilante's went there were threats, attempts at their lives, and plotting against them. These were very simple, black and white details. Very straightforward, and were the kind of things that really made work go easier for her.

"Yes I know, thanks for telling me. Usually it takes like 5 minutes when my team and I land somewhere to gain a mortal enemy. I was just getting worried that we lasted a whole day without getting someone with a burning desire to kill us all. Turns out we had one all along. This definitely is a perk."

War Witch looked at her like she had said she invented breathing.

"Well… not the response I was hoping for. As long as you know this. Someone out to kill you…"

"Oh yea, thanks for letting me know. I can sleep easier now," she said very seriously.

"You're sure about this? Someone out to kill you and you can sleep well at night?"

"Yes, why?"

"You… You're weird."

Cherry sat in a metaphorical chair and made a table appear in front of her. She then made a fancy looking pitcher with tea in it appear on it with 2 cups.

"Care to join me? I'll be sipping tea now."

---------------------------------------------

Kayain and Proto-Man were segregated in the middle of fighting several Winter Lords off. It didn't bother Kayain because he was keeping count of how many he could finish.

Kayain lunged forward at the oncoming ice block. He was able to kick and break it down the middle, saving him from the huge block.

"Thanks pal!" said Proto as he continued his assault on the beast.

Proto used energy blasts on the beast while Kayain kept it busy trying to flatten him. He suddenly had an idea that was a bit risky, but by the look of it Kayain would do crazy things anyway.

"Kayain! Gimme a boost!"

"What!"

"I'm coming!"

Proto ran towards Kayain, gathering as much energy as possible in his hands. Kayain saw him coming and put his hands down. Proto-Man aimed as he jumped slightly onto his hands. Kayain threw him up as hard as he could.

Proto-Man flew just above the things head, and brought down his fists on top of its head, releasing a focused amount of energy. The front of the beast's face collapsed completely, as Proto-Man fell down, still cutting into it. He landed and shook the ground as energy split the beast's foot.

It wobbled and fell forward. Kayain slapped a high five to Proto as it melted away.

"Totally badass dude," said Kayain. "Let's try that from now on ok?"

"Yea, that was cool. Man, you gotta show me that Karate shit dude! That was cool how you broke the ice, and you kept hitting those things and cracking them…"

"The style is called _Manas dul Argo. _Matronian for 'Hands that break steel." It takes a long time to learn."

"Still, it would be cool to add those badass ninja sweet moves with my energy attacks ya know?"

"Yea that would be… but I don't think you're disciplined enough."

"What? I can do it."

"Trust me man, you stick to your thing, I'll do mine."

"Oh all right… hey you wanna get a beer after this?"

"Hell yea!"

"Alright, let's do this," said Proto as they punched knuckles together.

"There's 3 over there, and 2 behind us… What's the score?"

"Combined, me and you have like 22. Freedom Phalanx has 18, and the others… I wasn't keeping count."

"All right, we're ahead, and we'll keep it that way, let's get-"

Suddenly, Diana fell out of the sky on top of him. She was a little dizzy, and wobbled a bit as she got up. Kayain, now pissed off, gets up from that bone crunching landing and sees his poor sister looking like she's been stuck in a wind tunnel for days.

"Di? What the hell happened?"

"Wha- Oh, I'm dizzy… I think I ran outta…cheese…doggie…"

"Heeeellloooo," says Proto-Man. "Say are you happy with your marriage? No problems? Open minded about three somes?"

"I… cat… frog… What?"

"Ok, maybe I'll ask you later."

"Di! Give me that gun!"

Kayain takes the gun, and the extra ammo she was carrying. He turns it back to normal, and loads it. He doesn't usually use guns, but he does know how to use one very well.

"Di?"

"Moo?"

"Just wait here."

"Moo."

"Atta girl."

"Uhh… is she going to be ok?" asked Proto

"Yea she'll be fine. She has trouble being coherent during serious trauma. Probably a concussion. Diana, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Eleventeen."

"See? She's fine."

"Well, just in case I'd better give her this," said Proto as he put his hospital recaller on her breast, and she was instantly teleported to the hospital.

"What was that?"

"Emergency medical recall. Nifty device."

"Where'd it send her?"

"Steel Canyon hospital."

"Yuck, I hate hospitals. Their jell-o sucks."

---------------------------------------------

It took till the next morning for Cherry to make a full recovery. She got out of the tank and stretched a bit. Regrowing tissue always left a funny feeling when you use it again. It was the same kind of feeling you get when you cut off circulation too long.

There was a polite knock on the door, and Tylar said," Cherry? Are you decent?"

"Just a minute," she said as she put on a robe Ami had left her.

She opened the door and saw him frown.

"What is it… you always have that face when there's something going on."

"I think you should see this."

He took Cherry over to the television, and changed the channel to the news.

"_We now take you live to Karen South, with the story. Karen?"_

"_Yes Bob, I am here with local hero Doctor Kayain Thomas-"_

"Doctor Kayain?" said Cherry.

"_Pronounced Toe-Mahs"_

"_Yes, thank you, Kayain Toe-Mahs, and his sidekick, Professor Biggs,"_

"_Aye!"_

"Professor Biggs… now that's just stupid."

"_Doctor Kayain and his sidekick Professor Biggs has devised a special defrosting agent that instantly destroys the giant snowmen monsters the public has dubbed, The Winter Lord. Kayain and his sidekick took this special formula of his to a local D.A.T.A. lab, where it is being reproduced and distributed among heroes to stop this Winter Lord threat. Doctor Kayain has also created-"_

"_With my bare hands!"_

"_-His own personal multi-use weapon that sprays the defroster like a fog. Kayain, how did you think of such a thing?"_

"What! That was _your_ invention Tylar!"

"Yes I know, but he's just gotta be himself when he's somewhere new."

"_Well you know, being a super genius like me, these kinna things come naturally. I was out there and I sayz to myself,' Kayain, you're the most strongest, handsomest, and smartest guy around, surely you can think of something to defeat these foes.' And that's when I thought of how salt melts ice cause of some weird scientific… thing. And I made this stuff."_

"_Fascinating… how does that weapon of yours work?"_

"Yes, Kayain. The world wants to know how my weapon works," said Tylar icily.

"_Oh… uhh… well, you see… It's like a normal weapon, only I uh… confrabilated the distornator, in the sightonon."_

"_Fascinating!"_

"Oh come on!"

"_Yea well, all in a day's work and whatnot! Oh Yes, Indeed, I am a freaking genius-"_

"_And me too ya bastard!"_

"_And my sidekick- who saved the city. Thank you, thank you everyone!"_

"So… let me get this straight. Kayain took your formula to some facility, had it copied for everyone to save the city with, failed to mention that it was my idea in the first place, and at the same time took credit for everything else?"

"Err, yes. I just thought you should know."

Cherry rubbed her temple as she sighed. There was always a rivalry between them two. It started with Cherry's mother and Kayain's dad. Those two were always in competition, or one upism. Like genetics, Kayain and Cherry also became extremely competitive, and always trying to outdo each other. Cherry always thought that made their overall relation better. So bets and wagers like the one they had currently were not uncommon between them.

Now, all she wanted to do was get him back for it.

"Oh, by the way, Danyel came by and gave me this."

"What is it?"

"Just the hotel info, and room info."

Cherry scanned through the info and grinned.

"Kayain said he wanted a small and secluded room all to himself to win this wager."

"Mmm mhm?"

"Now it looks like we're sharing this small and intimate room."

Tylar, like the rest of the family, was not very good at innuendo.

"Ooooh…. So?"

"You know what I could do to him now?"

"Beat him at video games?"

She sighed and almost felt sorry for him. This was another reason he never had a girlfriend.

"Poor sweet innocent, virgin, Tylar… Yes, that's exactly it. I will beat him at video games."


	5. Chapter 5 DATA

Chapter 5: D.A.T.A.

"So, Doctor Kayain is it? And Professor Biggs?" said Cherry.

"Well you see… In order to keep our operations a secret, I had to, uh, disguise my name so people won't figure out who we are," said Kayain.

"Yea! Wha' he said!" said Biggs.

Cherry folded her arms and frowned.

"So now you know why I had to do what I did… for _all _our sakes! Now don't look at me like that. I did mention you and Tylar."

"You said lab monkeys."

"Figure of speech! Meaning uh… Well it means-"

The stare she gave him could make the sun set faster just to get away.

"Meaning _what_?"

"Um… It means… Has anyone told you how pretty you are when you're angry? You've got the cutest frown, and you know-"

"Kayain. Be. Quiet."

Kayain and Biggs salute and grin stupidly.

"No matter. TYLAR!"

"Yes ma'am?"

"These two have volunteered to unpack your stuff for you. Supervise them."

"What!"

Cherry raised an eyebrow at Kayain.

"I mean… What an honor! Thank you my fearless and sexy leader! And did I mention you are beautiful today?"

"Kayain?"

"Yes gorgeous?"

"Get to work."

"Right you are!"

Cherry sighed and shook her head. Before Kayain or Biggs came in, she had just gotten off the phone with Rick Davies of D.A.T.A. (Department of Advanced Technology Application). She had briefed him on the situation, and he seemed to also be aware of the Rikti's new power source. He was not aware that the object the Rikti had was magical, and could prove tough to break. He suggested that someone talk to Azuria of M.A.G.I. (Modern Arcane Guild of Investigation), which in Cherry's opinion sounded much better than Danyel's youth guild.

Cherry set up a meeting for the next day with Jared McCulley, a lead director of experimental technology. She supposed they'd have things unpacked and ready to go by then.

There was a knock at the door sometime later, and Cherry found Lord Daniel there looking a bit sheepish.

"Ah, your grace, good to see you. Come in."

"Good to see you too. I heard your team had gotten a good deal of injuries, are they doing all right now?"

"Yes, they're doing fine."

"I had also heard from Kayain that…" He looked a bit unsure as he looked at her. "Well, he told me that you had got a javelin stuck in your heart?"

"Yea I did. It was very painful."

"Right through the heart?"

"Clean cut."

"It doesn't bother you any?"

"No. Some people I've met say I don't have a heart anyway."

He didn't know if he should laugh or not.

"It was a stab at humor your lordship. But I'm serious about the fact that it really hurt."

"Quite."

"We've got Diana cooking dinner, would you care to join us?"

"That would be wonderful, I mean I have no one else to eat with today…"

Innuendo, thought Cherry. Well he never did mention a Misses Daniel.

"I see," said Cherry. "Well you helped us get this nice place, so you're welcome here anytime."

"Yes, thanks."

"What do you have there? Flowers? And a-" Cherry stopped herself. This must be why he was a little nervous.

"Oh! This, well, uh… It's for you!"

Cherry raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, not _just_ you, but all of you. You guys went through a lot the other day, and it's just for you guys…" Daniel tried to hide his hand as he pulled off the card and sneak it into his pocket while he handed the vase to Cherry.

A card for Regina. She thought. Poor guy was probably hoping someone stupid would answer the door and just hand it to her.

Cherry was not about to say that out loud. One thing about being a psion is being able to hear surface thoughts as easily as hearing construction work in your living room. She wasn't always respectful when she was younger about hearing other people's thoughts. Experience taught her that reading people's minds was not socially acceptable, and she always pretended like they never happened.

"Oh how thoughtful of you! I heard about your cars. I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's ok. I have villain insurance."

"They have that here?"

"It's necessary."

"I would hope so."

"GIVE THAT BACK!" They heard someone yell.

"Excuse me your grace, I must go discipline the children."

Cherry walked over and saw Kayain holding a remote in his hands high above Tylar. Tylar was looking distressed and trying to jump and grab it.

"Come on Tylar! Jump boy, jump!"

"Give it! Give that back!"

Now Tylar was swinging at Kayain with his eyes closed while Kayain held his head away from him. Kayain looks over and sees Cherry in the doorway and lets the remote go as he puts an arm around Tylar.

"We were just playing, honest!"

"Arsehole! You were not!"

"Na ah!"

"Uh hua!"

"Kayain, give Tylar back his toy. Now apologize! You heard me young man, now apologize!"

Lord Daniel idly strolled around the living area. Diana came in and looked around.

"Has anyone seen my hot gloves? I need to get this pan off the- Oh! Lord Daniel, good to see you!"

"Hello ma'am. I had heard you were injured yesterday. I see you've made a good recovery."

"Oh yea, I'm tougher than I look!"

"That's reassuring. You certainly do look very strong."

"Dat's cause I always do my exercises and gymnastics! Hey don't tell Danny I told you this, but I can beat him in arm wresting!"

Lord Daniel chuckles a bit and says," Oh. I won't tell."

"Yea, I always tease him about that, and- Hey! Regina, have you seen my hot gloves?"

Regina had a towel in her hair and an untied bathrobe. She carried Diana's gloves and tossed them over to her. She looked at Daniel and said," Oh, excuse me. I didn't realize we had company."

Daniel's libido decided to take control of certain motor functions in his brain. It looked at the control buttons and picked, 'get aroused', then for effect he picked,' drop jaw', and 'salivate'. 'Stare shamelessly' was a must, and for good measure it picked 'babble incoherently'. Daniel managed a good," Gaaa…"

"Diana, your gloves were packed in my things… along with some other personal effects…"

"Oh," said Diana. "You mean my-"

"Yes."

"How about that gel that me and Danyel use when we-"

"YES!"

"Ok, how about-"

"Yes, yes and yes! Please don't mention those filthy things in front of our guest!"

"Right you are!"

"Lord Daniel. Please make yourself at home here. I will put on something a little more appropriate."

"Gaaa…"

"Will you be joining us for dinner?" said Diana.

"Ah… what?"

"Dinner? Are you joining us for dinner?"

"Oh! As long as it's ok with the cook!"

"Absolutely!" said Diana with a smile. "I hope you'll enjoy it!"

"I'm sure I will."

Diana went back to the kitchen and prepared her food. Diana's mother is a renowned chef in her country. Fortunately she inherited her mother's creativeness and good taste in the culinary arts. She takes her Kung Pow as seriously as she takes her Kung Fu.

Diana goes back and spends a few minutes arranging the table, making sure the utensils are exactly the same distance apart, right down to the smallest unit of measurement. When she comes out to call everyone, she sees Lord Daniel talking nervously to Regina.

"That's nice… You must have been to a lot of places. Which is your favorite?"

"My favorite will always be the Palace of Life in Matronia."

"What is that place like?"

"Well it's the ancestral home of all the previous Patriarchs of Matronia, and it was built thousands of years ago. The place is the size of a city. They have gardens, which are open to the public. Those are absolutely stunning. The hallways have statues of famous warriors of old. The architecture is amazing, and the marble and tiles are very well kept all the time. There's a worship area that has beautiful stained glass pictures that run all the way to the top. And on the top there's some ancient art that's been there for eons. And of course there is an art gallery that's incredible."

"Wow."

"Yes I couldn't explain it all in one day. It's way too much. But people do business in a marketplace area too. And people can stay in suites where the living room is the size of half this whole suite."

"That must be expensive."

"Indeed. But they do have smaller areas for tourists who are just on vacation. And they also have a luxurious bath area. Of course there is a men's section and a women's section. I'm forbidden to enter the men's section, but the ladies section is filled with fountains, bath salts, a natural spring underneath-"

Diana watched with interest as Daniel's libido made him twitch and squirm nervously around Regina. She and Kayain were usually slow when it came to picking up those little signals that people sent to let them know that there was a crush going on somewhere.

"That place sounds incredible. Wish I could go there sometime…"

"Who knows, maybe you will someday…"

And then there was the awkward silence, the kind of silence that you could hear gnat having a heart attack in.

Diana cleared her throat politely, and they both looked over, glad the silence was over.

"Well dinner is ready, guys, so go tell the rest to get their butts in gear and head to the table. Daniel, please join us at the table, and I'll get the food served."

It wasn't often they got to all eat together. Diana enjoyed it when they did, because she could go all out with the food.

"Gina?" said Diana as soon as Daniel left the room.

"Yes Di?"

"Does he… well you know… do you… I mean does he… are you two, umm-"

"Yes, Di, we're umm."

"What I mean is, does he have a crush on you?"

"No, he's just usually sweaty and nervous."

"Hey, are you being sarcastic?"

"Sarcastic? Me? Never."

"Oh ok. So… what about you? Do you like him?"

Regina gave a little smile and said," Let's get the guys shall we?" And she disappeared.

"Hey! Don't do that to me!"

---------------------------------------------

Four heavily armed guards escorted a man down the halls of the Ziggurat ignoring the sneers and comments of the inmates. Several times a guard had to prod some of them with a tazer to keep their hands off the man's jacket. They continued to hoot and holler as they approached cell B295, where they saw a man sitting in a thoughtful position, and smoking a cigar.

"It's too early for beating time, so what the hell do you want?"

The man remained composed and said," Virulent? Agent Sylvester Virulent?"

"Who's asking?"

"I work with a branch of D.A.T.A. My name is Edmond Derickson."

"Yea? D.A.T.A. is it? You a researcher Mister Derickson? You look like a gawd damn pencil pusher to me."

"I handle many affairs Mister Virulent. But I was called here by Warden Young on a case they've been working on down here in the Zig."

"Working on? Hah! You mean couldn't handle. These guys couldn't find their asses with their heads on backwards."

"This is a very sensitive case Mister Virulent."

"Oh yea, I'm sure. 'S why they sent you all the way down here away from your fancy office with a view and your weekends on your gawd damn yacht. I'm sure a pencil pushing prick like yourself was just itching to come on down to the bowls of hell just to do a little work." Virulent pressed his hands on the jail bars. "And hey! While you're at it, why not go look up ol' Virulent you son of a bitch! Now are you going to tell me what you want or not?"

One of the guards raised a baton to push him away, but Derickson raised a hand to stop him.

"Very well Mister Virulent. It's known you were used by Crey Corp as a test subject for Nano Technology. We also know you were the lead researcher in this project. And you know more than anyone about this kind of technology. We want to use you and your talents in a research project."

"Ha! More research. You know that research landed me here in the Zig in the first place? Giving an ordinary man that much power corrupts them. It's playing God Mister Derickson. You've got those spandex clad faggots running around Paragon City already, are you sure you need more of them? Are you sure you want to be responsible for giving corrupt people more power? Are you sure you want to go there Mister Derickson?"

"We don't plan on using it for evil Mister Virulent."

Virulent blew a smoke ring at Derickson, and grinned maliciously.

"I'm sure you aren't Mister Derickson. You'll use it for your so-called 'justice', and freedom, and other bullshit phrases you guys use. And who decides who gets to be Nano Upgraded?"

"We do Mister Virulent. And with these Nano Augments we could also make a leap forward in many other areas of technology. Medical-"

"The government gets to decide who gets the treatments eh? Oh yea, I totally trust the government to make decisions like that. So what's in it for me? More jell-o at lunchtime? A free slushy coupon? I've already got a life sentence without parole you jackass, what could you possibly give me that I want?"

"We can offer you parole and a hearing after we are satisfied with your work."

Virulent let out a humorless laugh.

"Is that the best you can think of?"

"If you want we can throw in that free slushy coupon."

"Oh now you think you're funny Mister Derickson. All right you jackass, I'll do it. I've got nothing else to loose. And I'm warning you now. When used properly, Nano Technology in the wrong hands will be more devastating then the nuclear freaking bomb itself. This is going to be on both of our consciences you damn fool."

---------------------------------------------

"All right! Who will lead us in p-"

"I WILL LASS!" said Biggs.

"Ok then, Biggs will lead us all in prayer," said Diana.

This should be good, thought Cherry.

"All righ'! Everyone shut feck up! Now I would like to start with a verse from the book of Deckohodrin… Ahem.

"So the lord he did smite the sinners, and cast them into the fiery' bowls of hell. An thus he did say,' That ought ta _kool_ yas off ya blasphemous heathens! Oh wait, I mean fire things up har, har!'"

Diana and Cherry raised an eyebrow and Kayain and Danyel exchanged glances. Lu Bu, Kat, and Solo were the only ones taking it seriously and had their heads bowed.

"An so the unclean heathens spoke out against our lord Jeebus, and thus it was written that he did bring forth swift and utter justice upon the sinners by means of a flamethrower. Give him praise and glory."

"Praise and glory!" said Lu Bu and Kat.

"Amen brotha!" said Solo.

"And thus in chapters 34:2 of Excrements, the apostle Billy Bob did raise his holy rocket propelled grenade launcher at the-"

"Biggs?" said Cherry.

"Yes cap'n?"

"Get on with it."

"Righ' ya are cap'n! Anyway, Thank you lord for dis wonderful meal, and bless it as it is about ta be consumed by these poor unfortunate heathens. And may they burn in hell eternally. By your mercy. Amen."

"Amen!"

"Praise and glory!"

"Wha?"

"Umm…"

Cherry's family had been raised religiously. Matronian beliefs are similar to Human Catholic beliefs. Cherry was very sure Catholicism didn't go like that at all.

"Ok… that was interesting," said Lord Daniel.

"You should hear him give a sermon," said Regina.

"Well I say the food is absolutely delicious. Thank you very much Diana."

"Thanks for the compliment," said Diana. "Enjoying yourself Lu Bu?"

"Ah, thanks for the Eaaargh. It's just like mom used to make it."

"The what?" said Daniel.

"This," said Lu Bu." Is Eaaargh. A fine Orcish delicacy. And even though Diana is an extremely ugly Orcish woman, she can still cook better than our finest."

Lu Bu is sitting across from Daniel, and shows him a pile of random organs and Kentucky Fried Chicken heads

"Ugly Orcish woman?" said Diana. "Wow, I didn't know I was considered ugly by some standards."

Daniel gags as he watches Lu Bu take a hearty crunch into a chicken head, making goo ooze out of the eyes.

Kayain slaps him on the back and says," Don't eat so fast man! You're choking."

Daniel hears a sickening crunch as he tears into the beak.

"Oh by the way, who got the groceries?" said Kayain, who realized too late he had made a mistake.

"You mean you didn't?" said Cherry who narrowed her eyes at him.

"Duh… um… Gosh you're cute today!"

"And you've got 4 weeks with Tylar when we get back."

"AAAWWW!"

"Now, as you were saying, who _did_ pick up the groceries?"

"I did," said Danyel. "On the way back home I did. I figured I should since Kayain bought tons of booze."

Kayain slapped his hand to his forehead and gritted his teeth.

"And, you got tons of booze even though I told you not to get it?"

"Yea, but… I was going to share! Honest!"

Cherry folds her hands and presses them against her lips.

"Kayain, what _are_ we going to do with you? Sure you can fight, but you can't even go accomplish the simplest of tasks."

"If it helps, I'm also very good at sex," he said with a grin.

"Oh yes, that's right. Very good at sex. What would the world do without you?"

"Damn right! You wanna ride space mountain baby?"

"Kayain! Not at the dinner table," said Regina.

"No, no, it's ok Gina. Sure thing Kayain, only what color maid outfit do you want after you become my personal slave?"

Kayain frowned.

"What's the matter Kayain? Frustrated you can't be your usual perverted self? You can quit at any time, just say the words,' I quit', and everyone will hear about how I beat you. _Again_."

"That isn't going to happen," he said through gritted teeth. "Cause I'm a winner! Always have been, always will be."

"You'll quit. Soon enough you'll quit."

"No way… speaking of that though, which one of you faggots booked the rooms?"

"The same faggot who gets to bang your sister every night," said Danyel.

Diana laughed as Kayain frowned again.

"What happened to my room? I wanted a quiet room with nothing but a bed! How am I supposed to beat her if I gotta smell her all the time?"

"What's this? Is Kayain saying he,' Can't handle it'?"

Kayain pointed a finger about to say something but instead said," Can't handle it! Me? Are you kidding me! Look who you're talking to! I'm the man, the myth, the legend! I can tame this shrew!"

"Shrew!"

"Yea, that's right, you heard me! A vicious shrew! And I'm immune to all your little mind games! Cause you're so ugly! Yea that's right, I said it! You couldn't turn on a garden hose!"

"Sounds like another' bet ter me," said Biggs. "You two keep at it, I'll go write ta contract!"

"That won't be necessary Biggs. So I'm ugly now am I? Couldn't turn on a garden hose?"

"Oh yes indeed!"

Cherry leans over the table showing a bit of cleavage at him, making his eyes move away quickly.

"It's not working."

"Indeed."

Lord Daniel nudges Regina and asks," Are things always like this between them?"

"No actually."

"Well that's good to hear."

"It's really very mild today."

"Oh."

"Come to think of it, it's quieter than it usually is when we all eat together, and I suppose most of them are on their best behavior since we have company."

Lord Daniel looked around at Lu Bu crunching away loudly on what looked like a possum head, Biggs preaching the book of Arms to Solo, Tylar using a wristwatch laser cutter on his food, not realizing he's cutting the table in half as well, and Kat trying to levitate his food and setting it on fire.

"-No way, cause I'm prettier than you _and_ my tits are bigger than yours-" said Kayain.

"-And so the prophet Duke Nukem said,' Thou shalt interact with my buttocks with a kiss-"

"-Umm… we have a fire incident here guys-" said Kat

"-I think I should readjust the strength to this for steak-" said Tylar

"Oh," said Lord Daniel. He shuddered to think what a wild day was.

"Just enjoy the show. It's almost as good as daytime Television," said Regina.

---------------------------------------------

Agent Virulent was taken to a special holding area. Inside were other humans all asleep in these liquid filled chambers with tubes all along their bodies. Virulent knew what these were. They were storage areas for particularly dangerous villains who the special disruption collars did not work on. The disruption collars would sap away strength and power of mutants, control magic, and psionics. Virulent didn't need a collar because his power was simply deactivated.

Lucky bastards, he thought. These suckers get to sleep away their sentences. Some of them will sleep till the end of time. The government is too scared to execute these guys… some of them _need_ to be put down. And some of them are just too powerful to be put down by any normal means. Heroes could do it… only heroes don't kill sleeping villains. But me, I'd kill each and every one of these sons of bitches. And now here I am helping the supposed 'good guys' in research and experiments on these assholes. I suppose there is a bit of irony in this, and that is: when villains do human experiments it's considered inhumane, but when heroes do it, it's 'for the greater good'. No matter how much sugar coating you put on it, it's still wrong to do human experiments.

"Here we are. Prisoners number 38321 and 38322," said Derickson. "They were given to us by an anonymous hero from another world. He said they were Nano augmented, and extremely dangerous. He wanted them here in case they ever woke up, so the super powered heroes would be able to handle them. Records show the hero removed some key components in their augments, so even if they do wake up, they will be no serious threat.

Your job is to work with this team and guide them with your knowledge. I look forward to hearing what kind of progress you've made."

"Scrawny little guys aren't they?" he said.

"Excuse me?"

"All right, listen up!" said Virulent.

When a muscular man walks into a room full of nerds, there will definitely be obedience.

"I'm your new boss. Any questions about research will come to me! Any complaints will be taken care of thoroughly. If I catch you slacking off, I'll ring your scrawny pencil necks. Prison has made me a very paranoid and angry man. If I so much as hear that someone's been talking behind my back… For everyone else it's best not to be within three miles of me and the offender. To be perfectly clear, I hate you all, and you hate me. But we have a job to do, and we're gonna damn well get it done, understood?"

Most of the geeks here had never in their life seen a man with that kind of build in their presence. The only time they had was playing some online RPG, and there they could fight back.

They all managed to squeak out," Yes."

"Good, now get back to work jackasses. Mister Derickson, I can handle things from here. Don't you have some kind of golf meeting to do?"

Derickson sighs and says," Yes, of course, a golf meeting. Just please don't _kill_ any of our researchers."

"Kill them? No, but if they cross me the most I'll do is make em _wish_ they were dead."

"That's reassuring. Well, please get acquainted with Mister Ion in the corner there. He's the lead researcher on this project. Good day Mister Virulent."

"Yea, up yours."

"Humm?"

"Good day to you too."

Virulent threw the finger at Derickson as he walked away, and set off to look at his new lab rats. The tags read," Dorian E. Williams, and Jenna F. Williams; Terran"

Damn, those are some heavy augmentations. I can see the grey veins on their bodies. It's probably the color of their blood. And what's this…

_Who's there?_

"Hey!" said Virulent. "Which one of you said that?"

The researchers looked around puzzled, none of them were talking loudly.

That was weird, he thought. I could have sworn I heard something.

_But you did._

Virulent looked around, then looked at the two in the chamber.

_You?_ He thought, _you're some kind of telepath?_

Dorian said, _not exactly, but my wife is. I'm simply using the datalink in my head to communicate with yours._

_Well damn_, he thought. _The whole time, these bozos thought you were sleeping, and not functioning at all._

Dorian said, _no, we've merely been put on standby mode. They're using our nanites against us to keep us sedated._

_Man, and they were planning on chopping you guys to pieces and taking out your nanites._

_That must not happen, for your own safety._

_And why's that?_

_Simply because my benefactor will know if I've been killed, or my augmentations have been tampered beyond repair. When that happens, he will begin the cloning sequence, and all my memories, and information will be sent automatically to him for a new me. I can assure you should that happen I will come back and kill you all._

_Makes sense. So why hasn't he made a clone of you already?_

_Because I'm in a stasis mode, and it's not considered lethal or serious irreparable damage. The reason there is not more than one clone of me is I tend to be a pain to my other clones, and there is plenty of backstabbing._

_Sounds like you must have tried that before. Fun trial and error eh?_

_Indeed. But this way, Jenna and I can be immortal._

_Ah, immortality. And what does your boss get out of this?_

_He wishes to rule, and create the universe in his own image. I am his agent when he needs 'political' work done._

_An Assassin?_

_To put it bluntly yes. Now, if I could get your help, I would be ever so grateful._

_That's going to be hard, Mister. We have all these guards, see…_

_Guards are nothing compared to the pain I can bring you._

_That may be true. Or maybe I can tell them all about your little scheme and let them leave you here to rot._

_You could. But I can guarantee you will not regret helping me out._

_My love's for the highest bidder. What can you offer me?_

_Whatever you want._

_Not very specific are you? All I want is to go home, get the hell away from all human life, and stay there._

_That can be arranged. Peace comes at a price though… My wife tells me you have an important visitor._

A scientist approached Virulent and said," Mr. Virulent? The guard said you have a visitor…"

"I'll be there in a minute."

_Now you listen to me Williams_, he thought. _I'm gonna see what I can do for you. Not because of your promises, but because I don't agree with what these so called heroes are doing. They scheme and plot against the people for their own benefits, and I don't want any part of it. I'm going with you only because when I ask ya if you're an untrustworthy evil bastard, you won't lie about that._

---------------------------------------------

Later in the day everyone except for Tylar was getting ready to sleep. Tylar preferred to stay up working on either his robots or his Pokemon deck Cherry had taken a long shower as she always does. She enters the room wearing her towel, and sees Kayain practicing his Martial Arts form.

"Kayain!" she said with mock surprise. "I thought you were practicing in the living area."

"I was, but Biggs started preaching so I had to leave. Then I went to the extra room, and for some reason Kat is on the ceiling doing some kind of upside down naked Tai Chi…"

"Dear me, sounds very unpleasant."

"Oh hell yea."

"Well I'm going to, you know, get dressed… You know, because I'm not wearing anything at all."

Kayain frowned," I know that! And that's not gonna work, cause I'm resistant to that kind of stuff!"

"Sure you are."

Cherry goes behind a dressing curtain and turns on a lamp. Kayain, pretending not to be interested, looks up and sees her outline in the curtain as she throws the towel over.

Oh God… He thought. Every curve in her body is so… NO! I must not look!

Kayain gets down and starts doing push ups.

"Oh Kayain," said Cherry innocently.

"Yes?"

"Can you hand me my panties? I left them on the drawer over there."

"What! No! I'm not touching those- Oh dear God…"

They were his favorite kind of panties, white cotton thong.

"Yes, those, hand them to me," she said sweetly.

"No I… Don't you have some Granny Panties or something?"

"The closest I have are the edible ones you got for me on my birthday."

"Ah-ha… Ok the thong it is."

He balled it up and threw it across the room, hitting the curtain.

"Kayain, do I have to come out and get it myself?"

"NO! No… I… you… Just stay put."

Kayain grabbed his training staff and put it at the end of it.

"Here, take it."

Cherry almost laughed out loud when she saw the staff.

Kayain resumed his push-ups, but switched to handstand push-ups. Cherry came out and Kayain fell over. She was wearing a white tee shirt that reached only down to the end of her butt.

"Why'd you fall down?"

"Ah, well I just, uh, messed up."

Cherry smiled satisfied with herself.

"I'm going to do some stretching now," she said.

"Yea, sure whatever."

For the next twenty minutes Kayain fought the hardest self-conflict battle he's ever fought in his life: To stare shamelessly or not to stare. He decided to do Kata with his staff.

"Cherry, hand me the staff please."

"Sure thing Kay."

She had a good idea and bumped the staff over.

"Oops! Clumsy me. Let me pick it up for you."

Very deliberately she bent down slowly. She let it slip from her hands and bent down again.

When faced with a problem, Kayain had two fail proof ways of dealing with it: Pound the hell out of it (In this case the wording was the same only sexual in nature), or run the hell away.

"Here you go-" she began, but saw he had already ran out of the room. Satisfied, she lay down and tried to get some rest.

---------------------------------------------

Kayain hated to admit it, but it was going to be too much for him if she was going to act like that.

I could say, he thought. That I need a separate room because… Cherry's using a new, feminine hygiene spray that I'm allergic to cause she's got, oh I don't know what… A new strain of kooties…. Yea that will do.

Kayain stormed off to Danyel's room, and burst inside.

"Listen up losers! I- OH GOD NO! MY EYES! THEY BURN!"

"Mmm… Hello Kayain, we're kind of busy…" moaned Diana.

"Hey man! The door was locked for a reason you jerk!" said Danyel.

Kayain's face twisted in sheer horror, and proceeded to the nearest restroom to throw up.

---------------------------------------------

Virulent found himself seated on the other side of a window with a strange woman who he had never met before. She didn't look like anyone he'd ever had a booty call with. Sometimes he'd be too drunk to remember, but he was sure he'd remember a face like hers.

"Alright darlin', spill it. Who are you, who do you work for, and what are you offering."

She smiled.

"It seems, Mister Virulent, that you are very popular today."

"I didn't want to be."

"My name is Marino, I work for Lord Recluse. I believe you've heard of him?"

"Yea I heard of the guy. What's he want with a guy like me?"

"We want to grant you an opportunity for greatness Mister Virulent. Lord Recluse has taken interest in you and those who are like you. You are very misunderstood, and Lord Recluse wishes to offer you a chance to rise above the rest, and gain the respect you deserve."

"That's nice darlin'. But all I want outta life is a nice and secluded island to call my own. A magical place where roast pig is served every day, the martini machine never runs dry, and women play naked on the beaches. Think your lord can give me something like that eh?"

"I'm sure a man of your talents is more than qualified to earn your… vulgar request. Lord Recluse's loyal subjects are always rewarded richly."

"No kiddin'… So what's he want with me now?"

"Our sources say you have been transferred to the stasis holding cells under the guise of some D.A.T.A. research experiment."

"You're pretty informed."

"We have our ways. We need your cooperation for a little project of our own. Project Destiny is the name."

"Project Destiny hua? Sounds important."

"Yes. I must not speak the details loudly for fear of the guards overhearing. But should you accept Lord Recluse's generous offer, you will be handsomely rewarded."

A guard came by and said," Ok ma'am, we checked out your gift. It's clean."

The guard handed Virulent a box of Cuban cigars, one of his favorite brands.

"Gawd… you really did your homework on me didn't you?"

"As I said, we have our ways. We will get in contact with you again Mister Virulent with more details. You can make your decision by then."

He sniffs the cigars and nods. He wonders what would happen if he said no to all the offers today. He shook his head and thought realistically

He thought, When someone says they're the one's being 'generous' by offering you a good choice, what they really mean is, 'You're going to do it, or we'll kill you'.

These aren't offers, they're warnings…

---------------------------------------------

That night, Kayain demanded that Cherry put him asleep psionically. She didn't argue, and knocked him out cold almost instantly. She didn't know what Kayain was fussing about all this time about Danyel and Diana until the day she accidentally walked in on them. She kind of feels sorry for Kayain now.

When it came down to it, he really could be a sweetheart. She remembered how he was back in high school, and smiled. She thought about way back when they first became Vigilantes. He was on top of the world, until he met Leda…

She was beautiful, tall, busty, and every bit as perverted as Kayain. Quite possibly even more so.

Leda was the top mechanic for the Vigilantes. She had learned mechanics from her father. They would both make vehicles for racing from scratch. Everything else just came naturally.

Cherry sighed as she thought about Leda. She wanted Kayain from the beginning, and she kind of freaked him out. She would hit on him exactly like he'd hit on other women, and it was very new even to him. And for the first time in his life, he said no to a woman. That only made her try harder.

She didn't know what it was, but Kayain started to change because of her. He wasn't womanizing anymore, he didn't party that often, and he trained more often. Cherry picked up that he was more than likely in love with her. And he didn't know how to handle it.

Even Cherry was realizing that someone like Kayain was capable of love. It was hard for her to believe, but she supposed she should have known it all along.

She was drifting to sleep, and dreamed of what she considered one of the worst days in her life…

---------------------------------------------

Cherry and Leda strolled the vast hallway of the Palace of Life in their bathrobes. They entered the women's bath area, and Leda grinned.

"Oh Cherry! This place is awesome! The whole palace is breathtaking!"

"I didn't know you've never been here before."

"No, I've never been able to afford it. My family wasn't very rich you know."

It was very true. Leda would send half her paycheck back home to her folks. Leda was kind, generous, and overall extremely likable.

Over time Cherry and Leda had become very good friends. Cherry didn't have very many friends, she was better suited at making enemies. Leda was one of the very few close and personal friends she had ever had in her entire life.

"Well I hope you're really enjoying yourself. We come here often on our vacation times. It's peaceful and relaxing."

They took off their robes and got into the main pool. The water was warm and relaxing. They took up a spot by a fountain.

Leda put her head under the running water and playfully splashed Cherry. After a while of splashing Leda looks up and asks," Hey Cherry, what are those flowers up there for?"

"Humm?"

Cherry sees the flowers strung together decorating the ceiling.

"Those? You mean you don't know?"

"Cherry, I'm Terran. I'm not familiar with your Matronian customs."

"Well like you guys celebrate Saint Valentine's day, so do we. Only we celebrate it differently in the fact that our story is not the same one. You see, long ago there was this Terran man named Garret who fell in love with a Matronian Noblewoman named Valentine. So now you know who my sister was named after. Back then laws were stricter, and not even the nobles could marry outsiders.

The man pleaded with the Patriarch to change the rules, since he is the only one who can. But the Patriarch at the time was a cruel tyrant, and not about to be the one who would break a ten thousand year tradition for some Terran man, so he said no. And truth be told, he was planning an invasion on the Terran colonies in the next year.

So they decided to do the smart thing and elope. Well the Patriarch found out about it and went ballistic. He hated the Terrans, and took it as a personal insult. He then sentenced them to pay for high treason. He had assassins sent out to kill them both.

They succeeded in killing Valentine, but not Garret. In his grief, they continued to pursue him. He knew the Patriarch would not give up until he was dead. So he knew what he had to do.

On this very day, he stormed the Palace of Life, and defeated all who stood against him. From each soldier he dropped, he took an old emblem of a flower called the Valentine, and strung it up like a necklace. Kind of a poetic isn't it?

He finally approached the Patriarch on the throne wearing three hundred Valentines. It was the most amazing feat anyone has ever seen before. The guards by the Patriarch fled, not wanting to be numbers three hundred one, two, and three.

The Patriarch was furious and attacked him recklessly. The fight was quick and ended with the Patriarch getting disemboweled.

This Patriarch had no children, or siblings, so his line was ended there. The successor to the throne came in as the Patriarch died. By then, Garret collapsed. And the successor was my ancestor, Leviticus Terril.

Leviticus witnessed the entire event, and waited until it was all over to come out. He pulled the Valentine off the Patriarch, and handed it to Garret as he picked him up. He then told him he knew what the Patriarch had done to him, and that he was the mightiest warrior Matronia had ever seen.

Garret was granted a full pardon, and said he was allowed to leave. But he died of exhaustion in Leviticus' hands."

"Wow," said Leda. "That's a neat story. A man single handedly defeats a tyrant ruler to avenge the one he loves."

"Yes, and they have a tradition here. They say if you collect three hundred and one Valentines, and give them to your beloved on Valentine's Day it is one of the greatest ways to show your dedication and love for that person."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. But I don't go for things like that."

"You don't? Pfft, you're not very romantic are you?"

"I'm afraid I haven't had much practice. Most of the guys I ever dated… well they were a bit frightened that I might do something awful to them since I always seemed to know what they were thinking."

"Yea, that would make things tough wouldn't it?"

"You have no idea," she said and sighed. "Anyway, they have a statue of Garret in the eastern memorial corridor. Poets wrote many stories about him. You can find them in our library, should you not get lost."

"Yea I know, everything here is so grand. It's a bit overwhelming sometimes."

Cherry's dream pulled her ahead a couple of hours when she had a stroll in the flower fields outside the palace.

She counted her basket several times, and made sure she had exactly three hundred and one Valentines. From behind she heard the last voice she wanted to hear at the moment.

"So, did you get all three hundred and one?" said Leda.

Cherry, extremely embarrassed and surprised, did not turn around just yet.

"I uh… Well I…It's really, eh, not what it looks like?"

"Nice try. You really seem dedicated for not believing in silly folklore aren't you?"

"It's for an experiment."

"Uh hua. So, at what point in this experiment do you plan on giving that necklace to Kayain?"

"I don't! It's… none of your business anyway!"

Leda looked at her flustered face and smiled.

"Cherry," she said as she took a step closer. "I know about you and him. And I want to show you something."

She pulls out her necklace, full of Valentines.

"This is three hundred and one. You know very well I love Kayain. And I know you do to," said Leda. She moved in closer to Cherry and held a finger up. "And if you keep your feelings all bottled up all the time, you're gonna be sad and lonely for a very long time."

Cherry was speechless.

"Now," said Leda as she pocketed the necklace. "I'm gonna give you a few hours to decide if you're going to give that to him or not. If you don't, then I'll give him mine! That's right, if you don't admit you love him then I'll steal him from you! I would have made a move sooner, but I wanted _you_ to have a chance because you're my friend!"

And with that she strode off, leaving Cherry feeling like a jerk.

Cherry's mind wandered to the evening of that day, where she paced nervously in Kayain's room. She was mentally rehearsing something to say, and getting very frustrated. She looks at her necklace and sighs.

Kayain bursts in the room, looking troubled and breathing heavily. Cherry quickly hides the necklace behind her back.

"Cherry!" said Kayain as he strode towards her, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was… uh… Looking for you Kayain…"

"Looking for me? Then you already know?"

"Well no, I just-"

"You haven't? Then what the hell are you doing in my room?"

Cherry went silent.

"Oh, look, it doesn't matter. Cherry we've got a problem! Someone's kidnapped Leda!"

"What!"

"She's been kidnapped! Remember we heard the Quantum Syndicate was in town? I'm willing to bet money it was them."

"No… Why now!"

"I don't know, but they did leave this ransom note."

Cherry read the note. It said for them to exchange Cherry for Leda's life. Should they not comply to meet them in the specific location in the next 3 hours, she was as good as dead.

"They want me for my bounty," said Cherry. "And they know we're all very close to Leda."

"What are we going to do?"

Cherry stirred a bit in her dream as she felt a presence. She went into her trance state to check for intruders, and found someone.

"Miss Cherry?" she heard.

"War Witch? What are-"

"I'm very sorry. I was traveling the astral plane as I usually do and saw you again. I thought I would come and say hello, and… well I didn't mean to intrude. It seemed a very sad event."

"So you saw everything?"

"I didn't mean to."

"Look… it happened a long time ago-"

"I really don't think I should know. It seems very personal and I don't want to intrude."

"That's ok. It's kind of a sensitive subject with me anyway. So what brings you back to this area?"

"I overhead a conversation of the people who were trying to kill you. I happened to catch their names. One was named Dorian Williams, the other, Jenna Williams."

"Ah! I know them. My father's arch nemesis'. Harder to get rid of then bamboo. So _this_ is the planet he left them on. I suppose he did that because of all the super powered folk who live here. If they escape somehow we'll have enough firepower to take them down."

"How bad were they?"

"Think of it this way… imagine someone with the precision of a machine, with the ability to learn like we do. Also think of someone who can learn and remember things like a machine can. You've got a serious combination of man and machine."

"That is a pretty big problem."

"Yea, but I believe he may get overwhelmed here with all the people just like him… At least I hope he does."

---------------------------------------------

The following morning was the usual hustle and bustle. Cherry yelling at everyone, Danyel lazing around the TV, Kayain tossing Tylar out of the shower in front of Ami and Regina, Biggs in early morning meditation (watching porn in his room), Lu Bu lumbering around the house knocking things over, Kat and Solo playing a game of poker on an ironing board.

Diana was the only one doing something useful by cooking bacon and eggs for everyone except Lu Bu, who got boiled armadillo and fried possum skins.

Everyone had a hearty breakfast where they all cheerfully argued and happily threw food at each other. Afterward they all assembled and waited for Cherry to tell them the game plan.

"Today we're going to meet some very important people who work for the city. Tylar, you are talking to a Mister Jared McCulley, lead director of experimental technology," she explained.

"It will be nice to have someone to talk tech to again," said Tylar

"I'm sure you guys will be able to do _something_. Danyel, you are going to talk to someone named Azuria in a group called M.A.G.I."

"Maybe Miss Azuria knows how to work that O2 spell," said Danyel.

"I wouldn't count on it. Diana, you can accompany Danyel."

"Yay!" said Diana.

"And the rest of you, go to Freedom Corps and register yourselves as heroes. They have this system specifically for heroes, and it seems to be some kind if insurance in case you get hurt out there on the streets. After that, you guys hit the streets and find out what you can. Oh and Biggs?"

"Cap'n?" said Biggs.

"You stay clear of those bars, you hear me?"

"Aye, Cap'n!"

"Biggs?"

"Cap'n?"

"Let me make this very clear to you. If I so much as smell a drop of alcohol on you, _even_ if it is just to clean out a paper cut… After I get my hands on you, there will be no proper methods in science to identify what's left of you."

"Righ' ya are cap'n!" he said with a salute.

"What about me?" said Kayain.

"You're on patrol with the rest of them."

"What? Why? I should be doing important jobs with you guys!"

"Kayain you can't even go shopping without something catching fire, what makes you think you can handle or even comprehend what they're talking about?"

"Cause… I'm… Doctor Kayain remember?"

"Oh no…"

"Oh yes, indeed!"

"Cherry," said Tylar. "If I may, wouldn't you rather he came with me? I mean people believe he's some kind of gifted and talented Doctor, and perhaps he could, oh I don't know… Answer some questions they give him?"

"Humm, interesting idea Tylar."

"Oh, well wait up guys-" said Kayain.

"I say, it would be a jolly good experience for him and the whole science community, don't you agree?" said Tylar

"You've got a point Tylar. Kayain, you will accompany Tylar and answer any questions they give you," said Cherry.

"Now wait just a minute-"

"Is there something wrong _Doctor_?"

Kayain pinched his lips together in a frown and said," No…"

"Good."

"Hey sis," said Danyel.

"Humm?"

"What will you be doing?"

"I have some important business to attend to. Then I will meet up with you at City Hall."

---------------------------------------------

Talley opened his eyes early in the morning. Normal vampires slept during the day hours. But Talley was no ordinary vampire, he is a Daywalker vampire. Daywalkers can sleep at anytime they wish, so he can set his own hours. Daywalkers are considered freaks by vampire standards, and Talley could not stand normal vampires himself.

So as his own personal rebellion he indulges in human pleasures and would sleep at night sometimes, try and eat a vegetable once and a while, and embark in the pleasures of human women.

He turned to the left and looked at one of his women. She was a beautiful red haired lady named Sandra. He had saved her life earlier from the Circle of Thorns, a magical sadistic cult trying to use her as a human sacrifice. She was so very thankful that she made him an intimate promise to repay him.

He turned to his right and saw her best friend, the blonde whose name he had forgotten. She too was also a captive of the Circle of Thorns.

It was a good night, he thought. They were both so very thankful at the same time…

Talley always wondered why vampires never did this kind of thing. When he used to hang around his kind it was always blood this, darkness that, talk about how they're gonna rule the world (Well at least rule the world from 9pm till 7am). Personally he thought these carnal pleasures were much more intense then drinking blood, or talking about darkness, and ruling the world at night. What annoyed him the most was some of them had the most outrageous Transylvanian accents. Even if they were from New Jersey they would do the accent, and that tried his patience severely.

But this… This was a little bit of paradise and then some. Talley had been many places, and Paragon City was one of his few favorites. It had everything he needed; Good women, good fun, and all the action he could ask for. If there was a heaven for vampires, this would be it.

Talley got up and put on a robe. He stepped out to the balcony of his apartment and surveyed the morning activities.

Directly below him and noticed some gangsters cornering a man in a business suit. He was about to leap off at them when he noticed someone coming up from behind them. Upon closer look he noticed it was the same woman from the other day, the woman with the enchanting eyes.

She's alive, he thought. Simply amazing. And there isn't a trace of any injuries on her either. She somehow made a full recovery within these past two days. Looks like there's more to that little lady than meets the eye.

Cherry did not stop walking when she approached the scene but for some reason the gangsters stopped what they were doing and began to flap their arms, peck at the ground, and cluck like chickens.

She's a psion, he thought. Mind control, how devious. She is very intriguing… A girl like her would be a challenge, and I like a challenge. I must go meet her.

"Mmm, Talley," said Sandra. "Last night was amazing…where are you going?"

"Out. Please, don't let me keep you now."

"How about another round darlin'?"

"As tempting as that is, I have a job to do. More people need saving. Next time, don't fall asleep in the park. Circle of Thorns mages don't discriminate."

"Mmm, will do Talley. Call me ok?"

"I will. Good bye for now."

---------------------------------------------

Cherry walked inside a place called Haroldson's, the restaurant she was recommended to by Lord Daniel. She sat at a table and looked at the menu's desert section for ice cream. One way or another she _was_ going to eat ice cream.

The menu had a very large variety of flavors. And she was favoring the butterscotch at the moment.

"Are you ready to order ma'am?" said the waiter.

"Yes. I'll have the butterscotch and fudge sundae… and would it be too much to ask if I added a few things to it?"

"Not at all ma'am. What do you wish to have with it?"

For reasons unknown, Cherry, Regina, and their mother all shared one specific trait. They were all psions, and they all had very unusual taste in food.

"Well if you could please add pickles, ketchup, and a bun? Preferably a hot dog bun."

The waiter winced at the thought of destroying their chef's food with junk like that. But the customer is always right.

"Of course ma'am. Will there be anything else?"

"No, that'll be it thanks."

"Thank you ma'am. We will be right out with your order."

Cherry sat back and relaxed a bit. She let her mind pick up thoughts around the dinner, when some thoughts caught her attention. She turned to look over at a group of very colorful looking people in street clothes. Some wore colored blue with blue t-shirts, some wore red with red t-shirts, and so on. They were very rough looking people, and were making quite a scene.

Some of them were looking at her, and whispering to each other, which made the rest of them look at her.

There's going to be trouble, she thought. I guess I should have known it when I first came in.

Surely enough, some of them started to get up and come over to her. She remained composed as five of them came right up to her and sat down on all sides of her.

The one in a red shirt grinned nastily at her and said," Is this seat taken?"

"It is now. I thought you guys already had enough seats over there."

"Na lady," he said. "You see, me an the boys here couldn't help noticing how cute you are."

"Thanks," she said while staring angrily forward.

"And that outfit of yours is especially cute. Shows off your whole body nicely. Do you work out?"

"Yes."

He grinned lecherously at her," Mmm, that's nice. Hey babe, why don't you come over to our table? We'll show you a good time won't we boys?"

They laughed raucously at her and Cherry frowned.

"A good time? How would you do that now?"

The waiter came with Cherry's ice cream and was a little surprised to see them surrounding her.

"Miss? Here is your-"

"I'll take that, chump!" said one in the blue shirt as he snatched the ice cream.

"Oh, what's this now?" said the one in red. "Oh, ice cream… sure looks… what the hell did you do to this?"

"That's mine. Give it."

He holds it out of reach and says," Now, now, don't get to hasty. We want you to come with us. We can show you a good time babe."

He lights a flame in his hand and holds it up to her. "We'll really 'fire' things up. HA HA!"

"I said to give me my ice cream."

"Hey! Did you hear me! I asked you a question!"

"And _I_ said give me my ice cream!"

He frowns and sets the ice cream ablaze, and slams the burned mush in front of her.

"Take it bitch!"

"You… You owe me an ice cream Mister."

"I don't think you get it! You're coming with us one way or another! And if I was you, I wouldn't turn down my _generosity_."

"Generosity!" said Cherry as she stands up. "You've got some nerve Mister!"

He stands up and looms over her.

"I like em _fiery_! Get your sweet ass over here," he says as he grabs her behind.

The guys start hooting and hollering, but stop abruptly as the guy in red suddenly collapses on the floor, clutching his head, yelling in pain.

"Yo! She's a mask! Get her- ahh, bock bock?" said the one in blue before he started to scratch the ground with his feet and peck the table.

Now all the thugs started to get up and come after her. Cherry knew she wouldn't beat all of them in a closed in space like this, and took off out the door.

They followed her outside and heard them yelling as she ran. She dared to take a look behind her and saw a large number of thugs coming out from the alleyways to aid their friends.

She activated her jump suit, and attempted to get away with her jump. Before she took off, a very large rock came and hit her in the back. She shook herself off and tried to pick herself up, when she looked up and saw a hand in front of her. She looked up into the face of Talley dressed in his dark armor.

"We really must stop meeting like this Miss Cherry," said Talley as he helped her up. "Oh and what's this? You've already managed to get the ire of an angry mob. You really have a way with men don't you?"

"Ah, yea, something like that."

"Let's see the damage," he says as he looks at the approaching mob. "Outcasts. And a lot of them. Do you think you can- HEY! What are you doing?"

Cherry walked into the middle of the road toward the approaching mob.

"I need them all to get in close together for something…"

"Whatever it is you're going to do you'd better do it now…"

As the thugs closed in Cherry's eyes glowed. They say hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn, and Kayain said that without ever knowing the quote after looking at Cherry. Every villain she was able to see suddenly became memorized in those eyes. They fell into a trance, and began to cower in fear as they realized that their worst fears had come alive in front of their eyes.

"Quickly!" said Cherry. "While they're in a trance, take them down!"

Talley nodded and ran at the group of baddies. Talley's abilities are directly linked to the netherworld. He commands their energies as he fights foes into submission.

Cherry on the other hand uses telepathy and sometimes her fists if needed. And she used it all in the severe beating she and Talley gave to each one of the Outcasts. A few started go come out of the trance and began to attack.

Talley's armor was once a living creature from the dream relm that was accidentally summoned in his hometown. Once he defeated this creature, he was able to create the nightmare armor from the beast's skin. The armor he created posses the power to bring foes mentally back into a nightmare state.

Talley grabbed one by the shirt and let the power in his armor take the Outcast to his own personal nightmare.

Moments later, the fight was over. Cherry and Talley were unharmed, and piling up bad guys on the sidewalk.

Cherry psionically lifted the last one and tossed him into the pile and said," What a mess. You think we'll get fined for littering?"

"Na, here come the garbage collectors," said Talley as he heard police sirens.

"Oh wait," said Cherry as she noticed the guy in red come out of the restaurant still grabbing his head. He looks down the street and spots her.

The man readies fire in his hands and yells," Die bitch!"

"Let me handle this," said Cherry.

The Outcast runs and throws balls of fire at her. Cherry easily knocks them away with a small barrier. He runs up with his hands filled with fire, and falls to the ground unable to move his limbs.

"What! What the hell is this?"

Cherry lifts him up slightly and spreads his legs.

"This is, as the heroes say, JUSTICE!"

Cherry delivers a swift and painful kick to his groin and lets the man crumple on ground.

As two police cars pull up to the scene, one of them calls out of their megaphone," This is the police! Put your hands up!"

Cherry and Talley put their hands up, and Cherry psionically communicates with the officer," We're with Freedom Corps sir. Just cleaning up the town a bit."

The officers lower their weapons, and survey the scene.

"Dang," said one officer. "I don't know whether to get a clean up crew here, or fine you guys for littering…"

---------------------------------------------

"So, this is City Hall," said Kayain sounding unimpressed.

"Very nice statues here," said Tylar.

"I've seen nicer."

"Very big too."

"I've seen bigger."

"And festive."

"I've seen… festive… uh… festive-err-err"

"Kayain?"

"Sup?"

"Do try and act proper once we get inside will you?"

Kayain snorts loudly and spits as he says," Yea sure, proper like eh? I can do proper. Cause I'm a class act kind of guy, ya know?"

"You?" Tylar said with a haughty laugh. "Classy? Bah, that'll be the day."

"What are you laughing at?" said Kayain. "Kayain isn't a comedy act! I am a class act kind of guy!"

Kayain farts loudly at Tylar.

"Yes, ugh! Very classy."

They enter the busy building and talk to the receptionist, and ask where to find what they're looking for. They go down the staircase to the large corridor that leads to the different rooms of specialty. To the right Tylar sees M.A.G.I., and next door is D.A.T.A.

"Here we are. Danyel, Di, I'm sure you have some wizardly business to take care of, so I will see you later."

"Sure do. Just notify me when you're done on the communicator."

Tylar entered the facility and spoke to someone in the front who was on the phone.

"Excuse me?"

"Are you getting all this? I said use copper coils for conductivity-"

"Excuse me sir…"

"No no, I _don't_ care if they're not in stock! This won't work without the copper and you knew that! What I _want_ you to do is fix this shortage-"

"Sir?"

"And- Hold on… Can I help you?'

"Yes sir. My name is Tylar Thomas. I'm here on an appointment-"

"Yea, just a minute… Look I have someone waiting here let me call you back. And get that damn copper! Yea I know you guys have an appointment today. Name's Rick Davies, pleased to meet ya. My researchers are waiting in that corridor there. Second room on the right, you can't miss it."

"Oh, capital!"

"Yea, and I have an important meeting, so I won't be there I'm afraid. Jared will update me on the situation when I get back."

"Not a problem sir, and good luck to you," Said Tylar as Kayain mocked him from behind.

They went inside the doorway and looked down at the corridors. Everywhere researchers were tinkering and tweaking with new inventions, lasers, and substances. Kayain looked over and saw a bunch of writing on a blackboard while some scientists were bickering over the formula on the board. Kayain went behind them and erased some of the formulas and drew pictures of middle fingers and various genitalia. Kayain walked out of the room completely unnoticed.

"And I'm telling you- Oh dear me…"

"Well gentlemen, it's happened again."

"Ah yes, but sadly this new equation makes more sense then _your_ variables!"

Kayain, very satisfied, continues with Tylar.

"Now remember Kayain. Proper-like. Even when you _don't_ know the answers."

"Yea, yea. Proper. I got ya."

As they both entered the room there was surprisingly not much activity here as the rest of the area. They looked around as some scientists were bickering about something. The rest were simply sitting and eating pizza, or playing cards (magic cards Kayain noticed).

One of them looked up and said," Welcome, I assume, nya, that you are Tylar?"

"Yes. Mr. McCulley?"

"Nya, that's me. Looks like we have some business to discuss."

"Indeed we-"

"Why are you all sitting around for?" said Kayain.

"Oh, nya, it's because we _were_ working on a project… But those pinheads at section 8 stole our idea and completed it recently. Now all our work is down the dumpsters."

"Oh. How very homosexual of them. Maybe you should teach them a lesson yourselves!"

"Nya, if only we could… ah who are you again?"

"Hey, I know you!" said a researcher. "You're Doctor Kayain…"

There was a snigger from most of the researchers.

"Yea, uh, that's me all right…"

"Yea we _loved_ your interview by the way. Didn't we boys?"

Another snigger.

"Nya, now I remember that one," said Jared. "Say Doctor, maybe you can tell us the components of your thawing agent."

"Uh… salt."

"Salt… saline, what else?"

"Duhh, uh... Water."

Tylar slapped his hand to his forehead.

"Water, ok nothing quite like some good H two Oh…"

"Oh yea, I like them H-oohs, too…"

There was more laughing, not because they thought his comment was funny, but because they thought he was a joke. Kayain knew there was some kind of esoteric joke going on about him. He hated being a laughing stock.

"Hey Doctor," said another researcher. "Maybe you can help us out with something. We've been working on this little theory, called the Theory of Everything, you see? And we thought someone with your _obvious_ intelligence can help us simple minded folk out."

The way he said obvious made Kayain want to punch the guy out on the spot.

"Yea, the good ol' Theory of Everything… Well you know, it uh… can't exist cause… everythin' is pretty general. We call it the, uh… Theory of Some Things…"

Tylar's eye twitched.

"Oohh, so _that's_ how it is, is it?" he said as though talking to a 3 year old. "Very good Doctor. You should get some kind of award for that!"

Tylar had the oddest feeling something bad was going to happen if he didn't intervene," Yes, yes gentlemen, can we get on to business-"

"Yes, is it true all of your equations get hung on the refrigerator Doctor?"

Kayain pinched his lips together and frowned.

"That's some unruly hair you have, how about a dunce cap to cover it up?"

"Oo-ok now gentlemen if we could just-"

"What was your favorite subject in school? Special Ed?"

"You may want to try some fish, I hear it is brain food. Yours is probably dying of hunger by now."

There was a lot of laughter all around. Tylar slowly looked at Kayain, who didn't move at all. Tylar looked again at everyone laughing and making comments, and noticed Kayain suddenly smile maliciously.

They were trying to bully him, and Tylar knew what Kayain thought about being bullied. He readied himself to take off out the door.

"Tylar," said Kayain.

"Err… yes?"

"I put my pack in your rucksack there. Hand it to me, get out, and lock the door."

"But you can only lock it from the insid-"

Kayain turned and looked at him.

"Right you are… a proper force shield should do the trick."

Tylar stepped out as Kayain cracked his knuckles.

---------------------------------------------

"Oi! Whadaya mean it's no' a magical sword!" said a shady looking vender.

"Sir, that sword is _not_ magical," said Azuria

"'Ow do yew know! Yew 'aven't even swung it around or nothin'!"

"Sir, there are many other ways to tell if a sword is magical. Not just by swinging the sword around."

"Yea, but listen tew it! It makes a whistley sound when ye swings it!"

"That is because you or someone else put a whistle on the inside of it. Now will you kindly leave?"

"Ah all right! Hew needs yew! I got my dignity! I'll just take me business to yer competition now!"

The man walks out and walks into Danyel.

"Oh! Excuse me sir," said Danyel.

"No worries lad, no worries at awl! Say… Yew look like a smart man sah!"

Danyel raised an eyebrow at him.

"Now then sah, how would yew like to purchase a gen-u-wine magic sword!"

"Ah ha… Not really you see-"

"Aww come on! Once in a lifetime opportunity tha' is! And it's guaranteed for life, or my name ain't 'Hook 'em' Wilson!"

"Well I really don't-"

"Now wait before ya say no sah! Dew ordinary swords dew this?"

The man swung it and it whistled.

"Wow! It really _is_ magical!" said Diana.

"Di…"

In general, Danyel didn't trust people who had to speak with a lot of apostrophes

"See sah? Yore lady there 'as got a good 'ed on 'er shoulders eh?"

"Sir I-"

"Now, now, now… I'm willing tah give this sword away fer a reasonable price. What's say… oh we start at fifteen 'undred?"

"Oh, that's a bit steep," said Diana.

"Ah the lady 'as a keen intellect! Awlright, 'ow about, twelve 'undred?"

"No."

"One thousand."

"No!"

"Weeell now… 'ow much would yew pay for this?"

"Nothing! That's not-"

"FORE FREE! Are you mad! Oi! This bloke 'ere says 'e wants me ter just 'give' away this magical sword! Fore free!"

"I did not! Now go away!" said Danyel as he walked off.

"Oh, don't mind him," said Diana. "He can be grumpy sometimes. But _I_ liked your funny sword."

"Thanks luv. Does that mean yer buyin'?"

"Oh no no, I can't. You see Danyel already has some kind of magic sword that he's very fond of. And me? Well I can't use one onnacount of I absorb magic like a sponge."

"Ah, unfortunate that is. So luv, can I interest yew in something else?"

"Oh, Danyel has a birthday coming up soon… what do you think a wizard would want for a present? Something special. More special than a new pair of underwear."

"Can't go wrong with clean underwear, luv. But seein' 'ow yer the brains of the owt-fit, I'd say 'e'd want some kinna magic spell! And, it jus' so 'appens I 'ave a gen-u-wine book-o-magic spells right 'ere!"

Danyel entered the M.A.G.I. vault and was a bit surprised to see it looking so small. Small in comparison to what he's seen anyway. He turns and smiles at a woman who was stacking some books.

"Hello! I bet you were expecting me and know my name right?" he asked.

"Are you with the Mystic Warriors?"

"Eh, no. I'm Danyel of the Vigilantes… surely you have been expecting _me_?

"I'm sorry. I was actually expecting members of the organization Mystic Warriors. So please try and keep it down. There are some in the back already."

"Oh… Sorry to intrude, but we need some help, and perhaps your organization can help us…"

As Danyel explains the situation, Diana comes in and takes a peak around the place. She takes a look at various runes scribed on the books and makes no sense of them. Diana had her anti-magic abilities, but when it came to understanding it, she was like a fish trying to understand what water is.

In the corner she sees displays of various items and books. She examines a strange glowing red crystal by poking it.

Usually misused items of magic tend to explode, but luckily this one only turned from red to blue. She giggles and touches it again and it turns yellow. She continuously presses it until it turns black and stays black. She frowns and prods it a couple more times and it crumbles to powder. She panics and sweeps the powder to the floor and pulls out something from her bag and places it on the display counter.

Someone walks by and looks at her innocent smile.

"Well look at that!" said Diana. "Some jerk has drunk from the uh… sacred Cola of Joule!"

The guy shakes his head and walks off. Diana backs up a little and bumps into a vase that was on display. The vase falls off but does not shatter.

Relieved she grabs the vase and it crumbles to pieces.

She panics again and takes notice of the "Do not touch with mortal hands" sign on the display. She slaps her forehead and searches her bag again. She hears someone walking back to her and tosses another random item on the display.

Another person walks by and says," What is that?"

"NOTHING! Nothing at all. Really. Just uh… admiring the… oh my… the Thundering Thong of Zeus!"

---------------------------------------------

Cherry walked down the stairs at City Hall with Talley. They both went into the D.A.T.A. room and were directed to the corridor where Tylar was standing and talking to some people outside a doorway.

"I heard screaming in there!" said a researcher.

"Ah but of course you would! That's because they're in the testing phase." said Tylar.

"What testing?"

"Well they built a new auto suppository machine."

"A _what_?"

"You know, an auto suppository machine… it directly 'feeds', ah-ha, the pill to you… It's mostly for the elderly."

"And you're testing this on women?"

"No no, I'm afraid our male testers aren't quite as masculine when they're screaming as when they're talking."

"This is ridiculous!"

"I say, then would you like to witness the process yourself? It's really quite fascinating. Or perhaps volunteer?"

"Well I… No that's all right, carry on."

Cherry approaches Tylar and he smiles nervously at her.

"Oh! I wasn't expecting you so soon… How are things?"

"Tylar."

"Yes ma'am?"

"If I open this door right now, will I see anything inside I might have to kill you for?"

"Oh no, no, no…no… maybe."

"Tylar-"

"I can honestly say I don't know!"

"_What_ is behind this door Tylar?"

"Umm… Kayain."

That said it all for Cherry. She had an idea of what she'd see now.

"Step aside Tylar, and look away. What's inside this room should not be viewed by nerd eyes."

"Umm… yes ma'am."

"Talley, will you please make sure he doesn't look? I don't want him having nightmares."

Talley, a bit confused at this point agreed.

The girly screams died out as Cherry approached the door and turned off the shield. Cherry slowly opened the door, and crept inside. What she saw inside made her sigh.

All around her were these cocoon looking things all hung on the walls. Upon closer investigation she found that these were people inside these cocoons. These people were tied up with duct tape, wrapped in toilet paper, and hung on various places by their underwear, which seemed to be stretched to the atomic levels.

All around her was more carnage, Magic cards seemed to be out of their plastic containers and thrown around, DnD character sheets were impaled on various paperweights, and some were burned. Cheetos, Doritos, Funions, and Mountain Dew were littered all over the place, and comic books were thrown across the desks.

She continued and ducked under a slowly spinning cocoon that was on a ceiling fan, and walked down a hall. When she peeked inside a locker room she heard muffled voices and banging inside the lockers. In a room nearby someone is tied to a wall while a machine is spraying him all over with shaving cream.

Geeze, she thought. It's _exactly_ what I thought it would be. Sometimes I hate being right.

She passes two lab monkeys sitting calmly at a table playing a card game and smoking cigars.

"Uhh…" she says.

One looks at her as though he's saying,' What do you want?'

"Kayain? Where is Kayain?"

He points towards the back, where the men's restroom is.

"Thanks."

Cherry goes to find the men's bathroom open, and the voice of Kayain inside.

"Now this really _IS_ neat. A robot that cleans your toilet for you! Only If I put _you_ in it's hands it cleans the toilet with your hair, and gives you a proper swirly at the same time. I need to get me one of these!"

She comes up behind him and clears her throat.

"Doh!" Kayain turns around slowly. "Eh, heh heh… Hiya gorgeous! Gosh you're looking very pretty today!"

She frowns.

He smiles at her and says," Whoa! Woman's scorn… Hey glad you could ah, make it… You see this is part of the testing phase in our fight against the Rikti… It's very necessary."

She folds her arms.

He backs up a bit and says," Ah-ha… Well it will certainly assert our uh, issue over all other issues now right? I mean now they've _got_ to listen to what we have to say right? You got to admit, the mummifying thing was funny right?"

Cherry narrows her eyes at him.

He smiles again and says," Ga-damn did I ever tell you how _hot_ you are when you get angry?"

"Kayain-"

"Now wait just a minute! Just wait! Wait! Before you say anything or get upset or something, I just need to ask you a question."

"You'd better make this a damn good final question before I kill you."

"Sure is babe. So tell me, in all your _important_ business… Did your ice cream taste good?"

"No! I didn't even get to eat it because-"

It was too late, he had the most smug grin she had seen on him in a long while.

"You! Dirty… little…"

"Mmm mhm?"

"I… ought to…"

"I'm afraid I didn't catch that, o' fearless leader."

Cherry knew she lost. This would be very embarrassing for the team to find out, especially since she always gets after them for doing the same thing. Unfortunately Kayain knew her all to well by now.

"Nothing," she said.

"Nothing you say? What about a Kayain you're the greatest?"

She frowned again and said with clenched teeth," Carry on…"

Cherry stormed off and heard a yell from the doorway. She ran to see Tylar hunched at the doorway, staring at the carnage.

He curled up into a fetal position and chanted softly," Happy place… must use the force… happy place… must use the force…"

"Sorry," said Talley. "I couldn't stop him. What's going on here?"

"This," she said and held her hand out. "Is a little known place called Nerd Hell."

---------------------------------------------

A very timid and mousy lady peeked outside the women's rest room. She peeked both ways and tried to quietly open the door. The door creaked a bit, and she froze. She listened to the sounds of the toilet machine whirring in the restroom next door, and the pleas of,' No! Not the pocket protector! Anything but the pocket protector!' She slowly and quietly exited the rest room and crept down the hall. She peeked around the corner and gasped.

All along the hallway her co-workers were tied up in toilet paper and hung up by their underwear. She panicked and ran as fast as she could down the hallway and stopped as she looked at the walls.

On the walls were simple math equations… all incorrect. They were written in ink. But a thought came to mind,' The ink of the heretics."

"Noo!" she said as she panicked. "They're all wrong!"

She hurried down the corridor past a couple more cocoons, and reached the break room, where she found more nerd horrors.

"Is that… Oh… my…God…"

Rare Star Wars collectables, Star Trek Action figures, and many others were all torn out of their packages. Some figures lay in tortured pieces all over the room, some were cooking in the microwave, a few heads were in the day old coffee, and pieces were flying out of the garbage disposal. She had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from puking at the plastic gory mess.

She hobbled out coughing, and gagging. She composed herself and continued down the corridor. She continued past the field of shattered glasses, and moved away from a machine they built, which was now being used to throw dodge balls at various cocoons.

She reached the main research area, and was horrified at something no mortal nerd should ever have to see.

"That's… Oh God! NO!"

She ran to her own personal character sheet from DnD, which was impaled on a headless Darth Vader paper weight.

"Oh Raven Heart! What have they done to you!"

She looked at Raven Heart's current Hit points and it read –10.

"NOOOOOOO! Who killed you! What sick bastard could have done this!"

All around her the character sheets said –10 hit points…

"They've even got Dri'zilda! And Zanthe! Oh no! Not you too Sylvan!"

Most of the other character sheets had been burned beyond recognition.

"This can't be… this can't- AHH! The decks are mixed!"

All the magic cards were scattered and mixed with Yu-gi-oh cards.

"We worked… so hard on this…"

She stepped on the scattered remains of chess pieces and game pieces from Stratigo and Axis and Allies. Around the next desk she found something that made her loose all control.

"NOOO! It's not fair! This can't be happening!"

Comic books. Previously mint condition comic books were now covered in Mountain dew and powdered nacho cheese fingerprints.

"These were… They were original prints… NO! THEY'RE FIRST ISSUES! AAAAHHH!"

She screams and runs toward the computers, hoping for some salvation. But instead of salvation, she finds damnation as all of the internet icons are gone, and replaced with one horrible thing-

"AOL! NOOOOOOOO!"

All around her she sees AOL installed on every computer. In tears, she slowly walks back and bumps into someone.

She looks up to see Kayain, now fully clad in his high school Letterman jacket and a pair of blue jeans. He leans over and smiles at her like a shark smiles at someone with a cement block on their feet.

---------------------------------------------

"A very interesting situation you are in Wizard Danyel," said Azuria

"Yea, and because the thing is made from both magic and technology, we don't have anything that could break the shield, apart from a planet destroying titan missile."

"Your people _have_ those?"

"Used to. Not anymore, for obvious reasons."

"Good to hear. Now about this situation, I recall hearing something about the Vindicator weapon you speak of. The references are in very old books."

"Oh do you have these books? I've never been able to find more than a few pages about the weapon myself."

"Yes, but I'm afraid I don't have very much on it."

She pulls out a title called,' The Webs of the Arcane'.

"This should have a few references about the Vindicator weapon," she says as Danyel studies the book. "And what does it look like exactly?"

Danyel looks up and says," Humm?"

"The Vindicator weapon, what does it look like?"

"A sword."

"Oh. That's it?"

"Ok… A red sword."

"That's it? One of the most remarkable weapons of the arcane that has ever been made, and it's just a red sword?"

Danyel always liked to have his facts straight before going into a big description of something. Otherwise he'd give just a frank and simple answer.

"Well the blade is a dull grey. The hilt is red."

"I read it took thousands of years to make the weapon. And it was an intelligent weapon, with all the abilities of its previous owners. When the one it chooses wields the blade, they gain all the abilities of the previous owners. And it's just a simple red and grey sword?"

Danyel held the book in the air with magic and looked at her.

"Azuria, do you know the story of Isaiah the summoner?"

"Yes, the man who lost everything because of one little incident."

"Well the Vindicator weapon is kind of like that incident… You see to most folks it would appear just an ordinary, beat up looking sword. When it chooses someone they see it differently. The vindicator's job is to unlock its true potential, and with that the blade becomes what it really is. If anyone else tries to wield it, it will become an ordinary sword again. So it may seem very little and insignificant, but because of that weapon people have killed each other for it's power. Nations destroy other nations because of Vindicator prophecy, and they're afraid it might be real. Horrible things have happened because of this one little grey and red sword."

"I see. What about us who can see the flow of Mana? Can we see the sword as it is?"

"No. However in some cases the Vindicator can impart partial power to someone else for a brief time, then the power goes away. How all this magic works is beyond me."

"This is all very intriguing. Well what I have in there may or may not help with what you already know."

After a few minutes Danyel read a few paragraphs on the Vindicator weapon. Nothing on how it was created but prophesies on the people who use the weapons.

"Maybe you can help me understand a few of these," said Azuria. "I read that the Vindicator weapon has complete mastery over an element."

"That's true."

"And how many do you know of?"

"I know all of them except one."

"I see. The prophecies speak of one who controls fire-"

"That's my friend Kayain. We're trying to get his back."

"What about the one who controls the winds?"

"One of my mentors, he was also my father's mentor. Xury is his name."

"Ah. And the one who controls time?"

"My father. Rolando."

"He sounds powerful."

"Controlling time itself is a delicate and extremely dangerous line of magic, and he understands this better than I do."

"So your father was a Vindicator, and your friend is one, yet you are not?"

"Na, I don't need that kind of responsibility. I figure if I wasn't picked, my destiny lies elsewhere."

Danyel continues to search the book while Diana continues her assault on the precious magical items. She is hopes the small crowd in front of her does not notice the pack of gum she put in place of a magical urn.

"Excuse me!" said a voice from the crowd

"It was like that when I got here I swear!" she said.

"Umm… What?"

"Really! It was!"

Someone from the group walks toward her and says," Miss, I was going to say we are having a meeting at this moment."

"Oh meetings, yes, yes, good… meetings… Can I help?"

"I'm sorry, this is a super group only meeting."

"Can I be in your club then?"

A bit taken aback he says," It's not a club miss. We're a super group. More specifically, we are league involved in the Arcane society."

"You mean Majik right? I have Majik!"

"That's wonderful dear, but really-"

"Look I can show you!"

With that, Diana unleashed her anti-magic ability, and absorbed all the magic in the room. Because all the items were magical around her, the glowing crystals turned to dust, and the statues turned dull. Everyone in the room felt a cold chill, and realized that the magic in the area was gone.

"Wh- What happened?"

"Oops… Guess I used too much eh?" said Diana as she glowed with a radiant yellow aura.

"What did you do?"

"Well I'm a talented anti-magic, uh… witch?"

"I can't seem to call on my powers, is that your talent?"

"It'll come back in a few seconds, but yea. I can absorb magic in an area, and use it however I want to."

"Truly amazing. Just one moment."

The man went back to his group and they whispered something to each other, and he came back

"Madam? Would you be interested in joining our super group?"

"Oh you mean I can party with you guys? Well sure! I'd love to join your club… as long as you don't tell anyone about this," says Diana as she points at the ruined items.

"Of course not. You may call me Mystic Wizard. I am the creator of this group."

"Name's Diana! Good to meet you all! And please don't any of you mention this."

"It's not that bad," one said. "I mean look at the… oh what is that?"

"The… 'Lipstick of… Herm-Aphrodite'?" Said Diana as she looked around nervously.

"And what's this?" another said.

"Don't touch that! That can tear your fingers right off! That's the… uh… 'Dental floss of Wonder Woman'!"

---------------------------------------------

Kayain put his arm around the trembling little lady and said," So miss, what's your name?"

"L-l-l Lill-y…"

"Lilly, gosh that's a pretty name. You married Miss Lilly?"

She shook her head.

"No? That's surprising Lilly… But then again look at the company you hang out with."

She doesn't say anything in case he gets mad and bites her head off.

"Well Miss Lilly, just so you know I'm really a very nice guy. Regular class act kinna guy!"

"P-p-please…"

"What's that Lilly? I couldn't hear you. Speak louder."

"P-p-please Mister…

"Call me Kayain! Everyone does at some point!" He adds," Screaming or not, heh heh."

"P-please Mister Kayain… D-don't wedgie m-me and hang me up in t-toilet paper."

Kayain looked at her, and noticed how she strongly resembled a mouse, right down to her large front teeth.

"Come now Miss Lilly, why would I do that?"

"C-cause you're a j-jock…"

"Oh we jocks aren't so bad once you get to know us. Besides you haven't done anything to me have you?"

"Well, n-no…"

"GOOD!" he said loudly and scaring her. "Good. Say Lilly, what part of D.A.T.A. do you work with?"

"Oh, y-you know… here and t-there…"

"Really? You sure you don't work here? Right in this very room?"

"No! N-not at… not at all… I, uh, don't work in this room, per say."

"Well I'll be! Say, your last name is Alexander right?"

"How did you know-"

Kayain holds up a clipboard that shows a list of section 4's workers, titles, and phone numbers.

"Lilly Alexander? Research member of section 4? Phone number 534-2892? That's you isn't it?"

"Oh no…"

"Oh yes, Indeed!"

"But I-" she said as her heart started beating faster. "I… it… I wasn't…"

Kayain holds up a picture of someone in a dunce hat, and picking his nose," And, is this not your little sketch of me that you made the other day? The sketch labeled,' The brilliant Doctor Kayain'?"

She squeaked and her bottom lip trembled.

"And also isn't it true that during your team's little… charade against me you were in the back making a comment like,' Hey doctor, where did you get your PHD? Bargain bin?'"

Her breathing increased and she took a shot of her inhaler.

Kayain pulled her closer and tighter to his side and said," Ah miss Lilly, what _are_ we going to do with you? But you gotta remember, I'm a classy kind of guy you see?"

She looks up at him, a little hopeful.

"That means I'm an equal opportunity hero."

The hope was stomped out.

Kayain looks at her very seriously and points his finger in almost a fatherly way as he says," Now Miss Lilly, I'm afraid I'm going to _have _to wedgie you."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKK!"

---------------------------------------------

Cherry and Talley walked back inside the D.A.T.A. lab, and found that a couple more employees had stumbled across this area. They kindly stepped around the bodies on the floor crying over a few stained comic books.

She found Kayain in the locker room with a can of shaving cream. He was emptying the contents inside the vent of a locker.

"Kayain," interrupted Cherry. "Have you made your point yet?"

"Ah," He said as he continued to spray shaving cream inside. "I think so. I guarantee you they will listen to what we have to say. Just leave it to me!"

"This better be good."

"It will," he said as he looked back to the locker. "Comfortable Miss Lilly?"

"Mmmph mmmmph! MMMM!"

"Miss Lilly says yes, and she could do with some more shaving cream."

"Mmmmph!"

"Sorry, couldn't get that last part," He said as he emptied the last bits of shaving cream inside. "You sound like you're all tied up at the moment anyway, so let's go get McCulley."

Kayain takes them to the restroom next door, where they see the toilet paper cocoons hanging on clothes racks. Kayain reaches toward the nearby one and rips the tape off Jared's mouth.

"NYA AHH!" he said. "That hurt…"

"Hello Mister McCulley," said Kayain. "How are things?"

"Painful, this wedgie is starting to get to me. My underwear hasn't broken yet, so it seems I need to start buying underwear that's not so strong."

"Nice try, but I can wedgie you with our without elastic."

"Nya!"

"Down to business Mister McCulley. What's this I hear about you guys being bested by this Section 8?"

"Well, nya, they stole our idea about anti-psionics. We were making a helmet that protects against a mental attack. We just didn't get the patent on it as soon as they did. But we had a working model!"

Kayain looked at Cherry. Her brow creased and she smiled back at him.

"Eh, my woman here just reminded me of something that relates to what you guys made. You see, back on my homeworld they made the same thing. However in case you've forgotten, it's only a helmet. If you're talking about a mentalist, they have telekinesis. All my little lady here has to do is levitate the helmet off and she's solid."

"Oh," he said. There was a moment of thoughtful silence and he said," I can honestly say we didn't think of that. Nya, so you're saying the idea won't be very successful?"

"Not in the slightest. Well you may beat some rookie mentalists with some corny trick like that, but it won't work in the long run. However, tell me about this section 8."

"Ah…. Ow, can you get me down… please?"

Kayain gives a quick tug and rips the elastic rim off Jared's underwear. Jared crumples to the floor and says," Nya… Ok… Can you untie me?"

Kayain gets out his pocket knife.

"Nya," said Jared as he saw the knife. Kayain makes two quick movements with the blade and cuts the bands off. "Hey! You could have cut me!"

Jared's realizes his arms are freed and he pulls off the rest of it. He looks at Kayain and says," Wow, you didn't even scratch me!"

"I'm very good with a blade sir."

"Yea… well about what you were saying, Section 8 is one of our most bitter rivals. We're always trying to best each other. Most of the time they beat us… And they're very nasty about it too."

"I see," said Kayain as he rubbed his chin. "Tell me Mister McCulley, because those guys were so mean and nasty to you, what gives you the right to be mean and nasty to me?"

"I… well… Nya, please don't hang me back up."

"I 'ain't gonna unless I don't hear the truth."

"You've got me there, nya. Ah, I'm uh… sorry?"

"Forget about it. I've already taken apologies from everyone… from their underwear, heh heh. But seriously Mister McCulley, I want to offer you something."

"Nya, offer us something? Like what?"

"An opportunity to pay back those suckers at Section 8."

"And, how would we do that?"

"Through me of course! That is, unless you're not satisfied with what I can do to them…"

"No, no! Your carnage was by far the best I've ever seen!"

"Good! Now here's my offer… You help us build a weapon that helps us break the Rikti shield, and I'll teach you guys how to be lean mean wedgie giving machines. When I'm done with all of you guys, you will be able to hang _them_ up by their underwear, take their lunch money, and stomp on their glasses, and dunk their heads in the toilet for even _thinking_ about saying something against you! And then you Mister McCulley, will be the greatest and most feared Dungeon Master in all Paragon City!"

"Nya don't know…"

"Think about it," Kayain said as he put his arm over his shoulder. "You hanging out with a guy like me… Imagine the babes that you'll get."

Jared blushed," Nya, Girls? Real ones?"

"A lot more real then the ones on your computer."

Jared looked over at the other cocoon and it was nodding.

"All right sir, we'll go along with it…. Ah… how many babes again?"

"Friend I'll get you laid in no time."

"Nya, ha ha ha…"

"Oh yes, Indeed!"

One of the guys in the toilet paper started moving around, and tore the rim off his underwear. Kayain sliced him free and he said to Kayain," I think I know you! Are you the same Kayain from the comic series,' The Vigilantes'?"

"Oh wow, you actually get that comic here too?"

"Oh yes sir! Your catch phrase,' Oh yes, Indeed' was how I recognized you! You're really him! The same Kayain aren't you!"

"Yea. That was my comic series based off our real adventures."

Cherry nudged Kayain and whispered," Kayain? We have a comic series?"

He whispered back," Yea babe, remember we agreed that I'd handle the merchandising? Well comic rights was one thing. I would send them stories of our adventures, and they would publish it."

"And how come I've never seen this comic before?"

"Oh, you wouldn't like it…"

"Don't say that. Now I _want_ to see it."

"Really! You wouldn't like it!"

"Kayain-"

"Oh my gosh, Mister Kayain," interrupted Jared. "Nya never realized it was you sir! You look so different when you're not in your Vigilante outfit that I hardly recognized you. We thought it was some kind of coincidence, but I guess we were wrong. I'm a huge fan sir!"

"Oh," said Kayain. "I'll give you an autographed copy of issue 1 later. For now, let's get your guys out and explain the situation."

---------------------------------------------

"Diana…" said Danyel.

"Yes?" she said.

"Let me get this straight. You joined a super group full of mystics to hide the fact that you broke a few magical items?"

"Well yea… Wait, how did you know I broke them!"

"I looked over there and saw broken things. You just confirmed it was you."

"Doh!"

"Honey, I won't say a word about that, but joining a super group?"

"Club."

"Right, super club. And what do you have to do?"

"It's like the Justice League! We all gather in our secret base and search Paragon City for evildoers!"

"And does this gro- club come with benefits?"

"Probably free cookies and lemonade."

"Can't go wrong there," he said as he rolled his eyes. "So does that mean members can help us out?"

"Oh definitely! That is, if they're not busy…"

"Great."

"But they have a library in their base, so you being my husband I'm sure they won't have a problem with you looking at some texts."

"Now _that _sounds useful. Oh hon, I wanted to let you know I'll be late here today. Could you possibly set up my lab?"

"Really? Can I decorate your lab too?"

Danyel might regret this decision later on, but he was simply too busy to do the whole job himself. He smiled and said," Of course sweetheart. Just make sure nothing gets mixed until I get there."

"Leave everything to me!" she said as she jumped and knocked over a row of bookshelves, creating a domino effect and knocking down all the other bookshelves.

Danyel slapped his forehead, and Diana cupped her mouth and said," Oh… It was like that when I got here?"

"Not a chance dear. Just _please_ go now…"

"But there's a mess and-"

"No dear, no more trouble. Please go."

"But-"

"Di…"

"Oh all right, I'm going…"

Diana merrily skipped out and Danyel shook his head. He knew she really did mean well, with her always-cheerful personality. The woman was always optimistic, and could find the good in anything. She would see a building burning down, and say,' Gosh those people are going to be much happier once their insurance kicks in. And maybe they'll put up a newer and nicer building there!'

Danyel smiled as he recalled a parade they once went to. Diana was so glad she could be there that she wanted to throw confetti from a rooftop. The stores were out of confetti, and she improvised instead. She figured that since confetti is just paper, she would get lots of it at once, and much bigger…

The police never did figure out who was throwing wet telephone books off the roof. Kayain had told her that if they were wet they would fall faster. Danyel never told anyone it was her, since one had hit Cherry right in the forehead.

Danyel laughed out loud as he remembered the expression on her face afterwards. Kayain was on all fours pounding the ground unable to stop laughing.

He sighed and magically set the racks back into place and began his studies again.

---------------------------------------------

"Yes Di, I'm here," said Cherry on her communicator. "You can meet us inside the D.A.T.A. lab. I'm in the lobby."

Moments later Diana merrily skips towards her.

"So," asked Cherry. "What's the damage report?"

"Damage!" said Diana innocently. "Why would you assume there is a damage report! All I did was hang out with Danny and we talked Majik!"

"Because I usually have to hear a damage report when you and him are simply taking a walk in the park."

"Like when!"

"Oh exploding trees, running trash cans, _vampire ducks_!"

"Heh… so you _sill_ remember that?"

"Just like it was yesterday."

"Coincidence. That's all it was. And I might add that I have _no_ damage to report as of lately. I'm on a roll!"

"Nice to hear. Anyway Kayain and Tylar are still inside. This here is Talley. He helped me out a couple of times."

"Pleased to meet you mister Talley!"

"The pleasure madam is all mine," said Talley.

"Oh! You've got fangs! You must be a vampire!"

"Well yes, I-"

"Now I know you guys can't see yourself in a mirror and all, so just so you know, you're very dashing… In case you didn't know."

Talley smiled and said," Thank you madam. If I ever need someone to tell me how I look I'll come see you."

"Hey, how come you don't have a goofy Transsexual accents?"

Cherry nudges Diana and says," Transylvanian!"

"Right," said Diana. "What she said."

"Well," said Talley. "Simply because I am not _from_ Transylvania."

"I thought all vampires had those accents," she said a little disappointed.

"Err, no. We don't."

"Oh… Well do you think you could-"

"No."

"Darn. At least I tried. So tell me boss, how are things inside there? Making any progress?"

Cherry shakes her head and says," You wouldn't believe it…"

"Oh. So then Kayain did something? He didn't tie up all those nerds here in tape and toilet paper, and hang them up by their underwear did he?"

"Yes."

"You'd think he'd get tired of that by now wouldn't you?"

"Kayain doesn't get tired of anything.

Talley watched the two as they conversed and thought, ye gods, what kind of people are these?

"Mister Talley," said Cherry. "We're heading back now to start getting our equipment ready. Care to escort two ladies in case something attacks us?"

"Oh most definitely, you know just last night I saved two ladies," he said.

"Unfortunately, unlike your adventure last night, you will not get either of us in bed with you."

"Oh, you read my mind."

"In my situation, it's hard not to. Let's just be friends ok?"

A challenge, he thought.

"I heard that."

I know.

---------------------------------------------

"Please! Jus' one drink! Tha's all I ask!" said Biggs.

"Absolutely not," said Regina. "For your own safety, I would recommend you heed my sister's words."

"Ah, ter hell with ye! Me throat's all dried up! I needa drink!"

"Are you sure you guys are heroes?" asked a man standing in the middle of them.

Lu Bu bopped him on the head and said," Of course we are!"

"But you can't kill me! You're heroes!"

"Aye lad, tha's true. But ya see, sometimes us heroes have to, as stated in Wrestlemanians 2:43, 'Layith the smackith down on yer candy arse!"

"W-what are you going to do to me?"

"Seen' how ye attacked us fer no apparent reason lad, we ought to hang ye by yer toes. But ye have Regina here ter thank fer yer salvation."

"No thanks necessary," said Regina with an evil smile.

"Y-you're not going to hang me by my toes?"

"Nope."

"Good."

"We're gonna shove this ginger up yer arse instead."

"WHAT! You've got to be kidding!"

"There's that word again," said Lu Bu. "Kidding."

"Ye might want to watch yer mouth aroun' ol Lu Bu here. There be some words he doesn't understand. Kidding is one of 'em."

"No Biggs, I think I finally understand it now. It's one of those double meaning words."

"An' so wha's it mean?"

"It's what happens when you mash a child into a fine paste. A cross between a Kid and Pudding, you get Kidding."

"Righ' ya are Lu Bu. Tha's exactly what it means! Fer tha' answer you will do the honors," said Biggs as he hands a softball size root to Lu Bu.

"NO WAIT!" said the guy. "I'll talk! I work for Crey, and my orders were to deliver our new soda to the manufacturer. Our secret recipe is in danger so we were under orders to stop anyone who may try and steal it!"

"You mean this?" said Regina as she held up a bottle of Crey Cola that she took from his pack. "It doesn't look like anything special to me. Just your average bottle of cola."

"Be careful with that! It's not ordinary cola!" said the man from Crey.

"Aye," said Biggs. "Let me see tha'! So mister Crey patrol guy… Ya don' mind if I take a swig of this eh?"

"No! Don-"

"No? Ya don't mind?" said Biggs as he opened it and took a large drink. "ACK! Tastes like dog shite!"

Biggs takes several more swigs and passes it to Lu Bu. Lu Bu sniffs it and drinks it," You're right. It tastes like dog droppings."

"Aye! Give tha' here, I'm still thirsty!" said Biggs. "Any of ya jerks wan' some?"

Regina looked at the drink skeptically and refused.

"Thanks fer the drink ya bastard! Now open up fer the choo choo train!"

---------------------------------------------

Tylar talked for hours with the researchers of Section 4. Occasionally he was asked a question about the comics, because he too was a part of it.

Kayain on the other hand was in the testing area teaching technique to the researchers.

"No, no, no! All wrong," said Kayain as he pushed aside a researcher. "It's all in your _grip_ man! Like this…"

They had put a pair of underwear on a human shaped dummy doll, and Kayain was pulling it well over it's head easily.

"You make that look so easy sir! Just like on issue #59, where you defeated the evil Jestinian Duke. You know, when he tried to kill the king and the prince?"

"Oh yea, that one was a good one! Good ol' Shadrach, the prince of Jestine. It was his smarts that helped us figure it out. Anyway, folks, grab your dummies and grip exactly like I do. Mister Smith, I know the dolls look lifelike but don't touch 'em like that. Ok now give a tug and slowly release cloth while holding onto the elastic… No no mister Blair, you don't need that much cloth sir. The trick is to grab a lot of underwear and not a lot of ass…"

Kayain walked along surveying each one's technique as they pulled on the underwear. He nodded and walked over to the new gym area he set up, and watched the struggling researchers attempting push-ups.

He strode to a particularly fat one and heard him wheezing, and struggling to push himself back up.

"Come on man! Just one more!" said Kayain.

The man pushed himself to the limit and beyond. He pushed all the way up, and collapsed into a heap on the floor.

"Good job man! How many was that?"

Wheezing, he managed to breathe out," Two…"

"Oh…Well the good news is you've doubled the amount of push ups you did a couple hours ago."

"Thank… you… sir…"

Kayain walked to his aerobic section which consisted of a several Dance Dance Revoultion games.

"That's it!" he said as he tapped his feet. "Now you're feeling the beat! Mister Vilerial, you got it now! And it's about time!"

"Yea…" said Mister Vilerial. "One… question… sir…"

"What is it?" he said as he gave the man about a minute to catch his breath.

"Well sir, I was wondering if you were related to the band called,' The Vigilantes,' sir."

"Depends. There's probably plenty of bands with that name."

"So you guys really have a band?"

"Hell yea dude! What do you think we do all day in our ship? I mean think about spending weeks all cooped up in a ship with no action. I mean, gotta keep busy somehow, and music is how we do that."

"Would one of your CDs happen to be titled 'The Devine Flatulance?'"

"Ha! Yea, that was one of our metal tracks!"

"I didn't know that was yours sir! I mean when I download- Err… I mean bought it from the store-"

"Everyone downloads like everyone craps. Don't worry about it."

Kayain smiles and thinks, Holy crap! They've heard of us in both comic and music. I wonder if I can get Tee-shirt sales going too…

"You know, I'll also be selling shirts after we get popular down here. Don't worry I'll get you a free one. And, to whoever brought my comics and music… They're probably selling my stuff without paying royalties. I'm just gonna have to beat it out of them."

"Free shirts! Cool!"

"Yea, don't mention it man," he said as he walked over to his weights section.

Kayain looked at his bench-pressing machine that he made from spare parts lying around. There was man with a fairly average build on it holding a long metal rod with a computer monitor stuck to each end of the bar.

"Just one more!" said Kayain to the bench presser. "There you go! Way to pump some silicon!"

The man puts the bar back and says," Wow, it's been a very long time since I've tried to work out!"

"Makes you feel good after right?"

"Yea it does! Hey I think sometime I'll move on to Mac's tomorrow."

"Mac's? Are you sure? Might be a bit much, you may want to stick with simple 12 inch monitors for a while."

"Maybe you're right. Hey what was your own personal favorite comic issue?"

"Mine? Oh that's a hard one… I'd have to say issue #42…"

"That's the one where you battled the Quantum Syndicate!"

"Yea," said Kayain as he suddenly looked very thoughtful. "I'll never forget _that_ day."

"That was one to remember. But I think the question we all wanted to ask was,' Is it really true what happens in issue #19?"

At this moment Cherry comes inside and looks at the scene. She shakes her head and goes to look for Kayain.

"Oh hell yea dude! You don't think I make this stuff up do you?"

Cherry peeks around the corner and sees Kayain talking to a couple of researchers that gathered around him.

The guy grins broadly and says," So you _really _did get to do it with Cherry, and all her sisters?"

Cherry's jaw dropped.

"Oh yes, Indeed! Cherry's got a huge family, and a lot of hottie sisters! But how could they say no to me? _Especially_ Cherry. Oh all I have to do with her is say,' Gimme some sugar babe!' and she's like putty in my hands."

Cherry stands right behind him with her arms folded.

The researchers were chuckling now as Kayain said," Yea she knows her place too! Whenever I want something done, she does it without question, and always gives a 'may I have another'. Yea I'm the king of that whole relationship."

Cherry's eye twitches, and some researchers finally see her and stop laughing instantly.

"Yup, and whenever I want it, she's all,' Oh Kayain, you're so manly! I want your body so bad!'"

All of the researchers see her now, and all look very scared.

"Uh hua, so that's how it is. Yessiree Bob, No problems there… Uh… She's right behind me isn't she…"

The researchers nodded.

"Shit."

Kayain swallowed hard, and tried to suppress a grin. He turned around very slowly with a very stupid look on his face as he tried not to laugh.

"Uhh… hi." He said. "Now, you might, heh, you might hear some crazy things, err, RUMORS. Yea Rumors, flying around the place. Like one how I scored with you and your sisters… All in the same day. Please don't kill me."

Cherry snatches him by the ear and pulls him down to her face. She speaks deadly calm as she says," Is _this_ the kind of smut that's printed on the comic book?"

"OW. Yes…"

"At what point in our lives have you ever done it with my sisters and I?"

"Issue #19- OW! I mean never!"

"Give me the comic."

"Well you see I just need to say-"

"_NOW!_"

Even the researchers jumped as the words echoed throughout the entire area. Kayain and the others ran around searching in fast-forward like a Benny Hill episode. Kayain finds a copy lying around and hands it to her carefully. She snatches it and skims through it.

"Well there's me… at least I think that's me."

"Yea well I told the artist to draw you like that..."

"Wow, I'm very… busty,"

"Yea well you know how it is with these super powered women… the bigger the power the bigger the boobs."

"And is that Diana? She's all freaky looking and flat chested."

"Can't have too many people drooling over my sister…"

"And…. Oh my, this is detailed. There's me, Valentine, Regina, Brittany, and Bridget… Boy you really went all out on this didn't you? Looks like you had my twin sisters at the same time… What's this! Sexy Cherry pin-up?"

"You like it?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and he cowered.

"Kayain," she said. "Why would you do something like this?"

"Well, because… Well it was done a very long time ago! You know… before Leda…"

Damn, thought Cherry. He always gets me like that. He just _has_ to mention her and things get awkward.

"You mean when you were a _complete_ pervert, and not just a half ass one like now?"

"Exactly! So… will you forgive me for something that's ancient history? I mean the newer ones are a lot more true then before…"

"Kayain… If you're really sorry, I want you to re-print these and tell the truth. And stop giving me that dopey grin!"

"No problem babe! I'll just re write these babies, in a jiffy! Hey guys guess what? When I re-print these babies that means the copies you have will be originals! Double the value!"

The researchers looked very pleased.

"And so there's no confusion," he continued. "I did not in fact sleep with Cherry, or her sisters. Not at all! But there's one thing I gotta ask… Why are you here sneaking up on me?"

"I came to escort Tylar back home to get his equipment. He says he's bringing things here. Apparently he's made some new friends and wants to do work here. While I was here I decided to say hello to you and see if you were coming back soon."

"Oh… well looks like you got more than you bargained for."

"Indeed. And I want a copy of every comic you've made. We need to fix some errors before my sisters see this."

"They have actually."

"What!"

"Yea, they thought it was hilarious."

"Even Gina!"

"Yea, especially her. Hey I can't help that now can I? She told me she thinks I'm incredibly sexy! No! Super Sexy!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!" Said Kayain with a grin. He whisperes to her," She also said she wishes she would have joined us way earlier so she could have had me long ago."

"Kayain! Don't say things like that!"

"Ask her!"

Cherry didn't have to. She knew Regina was very open and honest about most things.

"Ok, ok! Kayain, are you coming home or not?"

"In a while babe! I'll be home after a few more exercises with these wimps."

"All right I'll see you at home. Oh and before I forget… About those comments I heard earlier…"

"Doh! Ah sorry, I- Bock Bock?"

Kayain flapped his arms around, pecked the tables and scratched the floors.

"Apology accepted."

---------------------------------------------

Everyone except Kayain was gathered in the living room, discussing plans.

"So ladies and gentlemen," said Tylar. "We have made a sound theory on the possible methods of breaking inside the new and advanced Rikti shield. The general theory is using Rikti technology against the shield. Many of these we are unlikely to find around D.A.T.A. and must acquire these ourselves."

"You mean using their own weapons against them?" said Cherry. "We don't have anything ourselves that can break the shield?"

"Well, let me put it to you this way," he said. "This shield is composed of two elements, Magic and Technology. Like a water and oil combo. Let's say the water part is science, ok? Water is pretty much the universal liquid, and with our current equipment we could break it. Now let's say Magic is the oil. Normally the two things don't mix well, but somehow they made it work. Our guess was that they are using another source of magic to maintain this odd mixture. Since we can't get at this source we are forced to go through the water and oil.

The biggest problem is we are extremely limited on our knowledge of the nature of this shield, and the nature of most rikti technology. Because the magic is so deeply immersed in the tech, the technology part is extremely overpowered. We'd need something with an immense power source to over power just one part.

The other problem is even if we do happen to get something with that kind of power in a focused area, we'd _still_ have to deal with the magic part. And one supports the other, so we'd need the right magical components of equal power."

Cherry folds her hands and puts them against her chin. She leaned forward and said," Tell me it gets better…"

"No I'm afraid not. Really, it gets worse," said Tylar once again oblivious to sarcasm. "Now we're going to talk about the Rikti fail-safe plans. From what we do know, the Rikti use complicated systems when dealing with security. For example, if I were to break a normal shield of theirs, with a particular weapon, then their shields would quickly change wave patterns so to speak. Meaning the same kind of blast you used would be useless against the shield after a while."

"Constantly changing wave patterns," said Cherry. "Meaning once we break it, we have a short amount of time before it recovers and closes up again."

"Yes, and whomever is inside will not be able to leave without their Rikti teleport device, or shutting down the shield."

"Ingenious. Tell me Tylar, do you believe this is all possible?"

"Well, _everything_ is possible. But this will take much consideration and time."

"But it _is_ doable?"

"Err, yes."

Cherry sighed in relief. She was also glad Kayain was not around to hear her say 'doable'.

"Very good Tylar," said Cherry. "Dan? What do you think?"

"I'm going to have to agree sis," said Danyel. "I've gathered all I could about the Vindicator weapon, and knowing the components is only the beginning. Determining the solution is the harder part. The hardest part is finding them. Other than that, my part shouldn't be nearly as complicated."

"Good. That's what I want to hear," she said as she took a look around. "You hear that boys and girls? We're on the look out for Rikti technology and items of magical power."

"Yes, ma'am!" said Kat and Solo.

"Uhh…" groaned Biggs and Lu Bu.

"What's wrong with you guys? Biggs, you're usually all fire and brimstone. And Lu Bu, you're always ready to bust some heads."

"Eh, beggin' yer pardon Cap'n… I don' feel so good. Can I go rest now?" asked Biggs as he put one hand on his head.

"Come here…" said Cherry. "Lu Bu, come here too."

They both walked over to her in a cold sweat. She sniffed around them and said," I don't smell alcohol, so you did pretty well there. What else have you eaten today?"

"Beef Jerky," said Biggs.

"Road Kill," Said Lu Bu.

"Well that's pretty normal for you guys. Lu Bu your road kill was how old?"

"Don't know ma'am. I don't usually ask armadillos how old they is… I just run em over."

"I mean how long was the thing dead?"

"I stepped on it then ate it, so not long?"

"Well it couldn't have been that… What else?"

"What about that soda?" said Regina.

"Soda? What soda?" asked Cherry.

"Oh… we stole- I mean confiscated this new cola from some villain on the streets. They shared a few swigs," said Regina looking very sheepish.

"You mean you guys drank some new drink from a guy off the streets?"

"Yea, we did cap'n. Jus' looked like regular soda ter me," said Biggs.

"Geeze, haven't you guys learned anything? Who knows what kind of drugs that guy could have been harboring!"

"Sorry ma'am," said Lu Bu.

Cherry sighs and says," All right you two, get some rest. Hopefully this stuff will exit your system one way or another. Ami keep an eye on them. If they're not better by tomorrow, let me know."

"Will do," said Ami.

"Tylar, you have all your equipment?"

"I do," he said.

"Good. I'll take you back to D.A.T.A.

"I'll be pulling an up-all-nighter today, so don't worry about coming to get me until the next day," he said.

"And what about you Dan?"

"I need to get some work done here," said Danyel.

"Very well. Everyone, dismissed."

Regina comes up to Cherry and says," I'll go with you to help keep you safe."

"Thank you sis… Err, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Have you read Kayain's comic before?"

Regina lets out one sharp laugh and says," Oh dear, you must have seen it recently haven't you?"

"Yes…"

"Isn't Kayain's work completely hilarious? He's got creativity I'll give him that."

"There was one part in particular I was going to ask about…"

"Is it the part where he has sex with all of us on the same day?"

"Yes…"

"I was surprised at first, but then when I asked him why he did that, he said he thought it would have made us laugh. I admit it did. He also said how hot we are, and I felt flattered that he really thinks of me as super sexy."

"He said that you called him that."

"Yea I did… Hey don't look at me that way! Nothing happened between us, he's just a very sexy guy! Maybe a big pervert, but he's still a sexy guy! Nothing wrong with looking at a sexy guy now is there?"

"No, not at all…"

"You're always so jealous. You need to ease up. I mean if _I _had a man I really liked, and you said he was hot, I'd be very happy."

Cherry smiles a bit and says," Really?"

"Of course! It's only natural to want to see something very attractive, it's just in our nature."

"Where have you been getting your philosophies? Diana?"

"No, It's just what I think. But besides that did you see the way he portrays you on the comic?"

"Heh, yea I did."

"Think of that as a Kayain form of flattery. When he looks at you, he sees the sexiest woman alive. I'd be proud if I were you."

Cherry smiles as she remembers the picture.

Kayain, she thought. Of all the universes you could have come into, you _had _to come into mine. You're the biggest pervert I've ever had the displeasure of meeting… Don't ever change.


	6. Chapter 6 Crey Corp

**Chapter 6: Crey Corp**

"Hopkins, what exactly happened to our little experiment?" asked the Countess Crey.

Hopkins, solid as a rock, and with a personality to match, faltered when he said," It was stolen ma'am… But the nature of this case is-"

"I don't need to hear petty details, Hopkins. I want results. I've _always _known you to get results."

"Ma'am I really think you should hear this."

She sighed and stared out the window overlooking the city," Yes, what is it then?"

"Security chief Wilson said that he was assaulted by a gang of rowdy heroes. He pleaded with them not to hurt him and they-" He said as he coughed nervously. "-Well they umm…"

"Get on with it."

"They forced a very large piece of ginger up his-" he coughed again. "-Up his anus ma'am."

She raised an eyebrow and said," What kind of heroes are these again, if _hero_ is even the right word for this?"

"Then they put a very large pink bow on his back and glued it with super glue."

"Again I ask what kind of _people_ are they?"

"Couldn't say ma'am. He's got a couple of their names though if that helps."

"Names are good. Where is Wilson then?"

"Still at the proctologist ma'am."

"I see," said the Countess as she sat down and put her hands together. "And did anything else happen?"

"Well then one of them grabbed the cola and drank it."

"He what!"

"Yes ma'am. Two of them actually…"

She turned and stared directly at Hopkins and said," I want these two found. They're carrying extremely expensive equipment inside them. Not to mention it was still in the testing phase. What makes things worse is they're carrying the only sample."

"Yes ma'am. What exactly will the sample do to them?"

"Probably kill them. But we need to find them first before that happens. If people found they were killed by our product, the media will have a frenzy."

"Yes ma'am."

"Threaten who you have to. Get our lawyers, and even our Protectors. I don't care what it takes, just bring them to me."

"Consider it done ma'am," He said as he bowed and exited.

The Countess turned back to look out the window.

_Heroes_, she thought. I loathe them. _No one can get any work done with those dunderheads always about… Still, once we find those two we can use them as test results. They should be very easy to handle now that they've got the nanites in their system. And if we play our cards right, this little incident could provide us with very useful data…_

----------------------------------------------

"Cherry," said Ami as she stood over Biggs lying on a bed. "It's been two days now. They seem to be getting worse every day. I've run several diagnostics and can't find a problem. My knowledge is somewhat limited in Orcish anatomy, and I can't figure out how he's going to react to certain medicines we could give him."

"Funny you should say that. If you ever go to their homeworld you'll find Orcish anatomy lying all over the floor. Orcs have little use for medicine and doctors. When Orcs were injured or ill, they usually cut their heads off to ease the pain," said Cherry.

"Dear me! That sounds dreadful!"

"Ah but it worked, and that's all they needed."

"cough G'mornin," said Biggs miserably. "cough I hate this…cough I had the mos' cough wonderful dream lass!"

"Oh, what did you dream of mister Biggs?" asked Ami.

"Ah dreamed cough tha' all of ya died ancough cough went ter hell, an I cough was sittin back, an drinkin a pint with the good lord cough," said Biggs as he stared off somewhere between the wall and Ami.

"Oh. I suppose you had such wonderful fun didn't you?" said Ami.

"Aye cough. Now where's me pamphlets cough cough?"

"I'm afraid you're just going to have to wait on your preaching till later Mister Biggs. Just please stay put until we can figure out what's doing this to your system"

"Feck cough that! I need ter cough cough cough spread the good cough word!"

"Oh, he's heavily medicated right now. He may seem a bit delirious… But he is very determined," said Ami.

"Indeed he's our little zealot," said Cherry as Biggs began to swear at no one. "He's not usually like that, he usually curses _at_ someone…"

"Curse ya cough cough cough ya filthy fecker! I'll preach cough ifn I damn well want cough cough to ya hear!" said Biggs to the clock.

"I'm going to sedate him again," said Ami.

"Keep them here still. I'm going to do some investigation on this Crey Company. If they're messing around with soda recipes, then they've got some really bad methods. Soda shouldn't do this to someone."

"How do you know it was the soda? I mean it's contents have already been flushed out of their systems."

Cherry looks at her for a moment, and remembers she doesn't socialize that often with them.

"Ami," she said. "Lu Bu drinks a whole keg of beer by himself, pisses it out and drinks another. He also eats piles of slaughterhouse waste by the barrels. He gets shot with lasers, bullets and explosions all the time, and it only makes him mad… Anything that can do this to his augmented systems must be serious… And I'm going to find out."

"I suppose you're right. Disease can take down even the mightiest warrior."

"Yes it does. Lu Bu can't go like this… He told me once if he was going to die, it would be in a fight with him against a fifty thousand well armed soldiers."

"He really wants that? To die in a glorious battle?"

"No! He wants to kill them all and just die of exhaustion."

"Oh… Orcs are strange people."

"Well the thing is I don't intend on him dieing here. I'd like to see his request fulfilled someday."

"You want to see him go like that?"

Cherry thinks for a moment how she could explain this, and says," Him and I have an understanding… His ways may seem a bit strange but I've come to accept them. And he lets me ride on his back in a basket."

"That's an understanding?"

"Yup. But that kind of request is a part of Orcish culture. If your name isn't feared then you die a horrible death. Do something like that and you'll be a legend."

Ami raises an eyebrow and says," I think I get it now. You want him to do such a thing because it's part of his culture. And it's a sign of respect I guess."

"Yea something like that. So I don't wanna see the big fella die here in bed, so I'm going to do a little investigating on Crey. I'll be going with Lord Daniel and Gina so that means you're the responsible one here."

Ami looks down shyly and says," Oh, where is Tylar?"

"He's doing his usual thing at D.A.T.A."

"And Danyel?"

"He's cooped up in his alchemy lab, and you know how he gets when he's mixing things."

"And the rest?"

"Kayain and Di are doing their own thing, meaning they're going to be a nuisance around the place. Kat and Solo are playing a card game, so they should be out of trouble for a good while. And I can't seem to find DeVall."

"Ok then. I'm going to be busy taking care of things here."

"I know. Since you're the only responsible one on hand all I need you to do is call me to scold Kayain and Di when they make something explode."

"Will do Miss Cherry."

Cherry walked out and right into Kayain.

"Ow! Lummox! What are you doing over here?"

"I need to borrow some elastic from Ami."

"And what do you need elastic for?"

"We're gonna make a sling shot!"

Cherry folds her arms and says," Well don't throw anything breakable! Or don't throw anything _at_ anything breakable!"

"Not to worry, we're going to throw these plushy dolls at that target on the wall."

"And if I hear about this building collapsing in a freak accident can I assume your project was a success or a failure?"

Kayain had to think about that one for a while and decided it was a kind of jeer or a compliment. He decided it was usual Cherry gibe and said," If that happens you can assume I showed off pictures of you in a one piece to the folks downstairs. They tore down the building hoping to burry it."

"I see you're throwing 'My Friend Kayain, buddy' dolls. Hopefully like the real one their hard heads won't break the wall."

"Ha ha… Oh that wasn't a compliment… Hey!"

Cherry shakes her head and walks to the door.

"Ready Gina?" she says to the door.

Regina appears in front of it and says," Let's go sis. Danny is waiting by the valet."

Cherry smiles and says," Since when have you called him Danny? Is he your new _boyfriend_?"

Regina keeps her serious looking face and says," You know, if you're going to tease me like we all do Ami and Tylar, then I refuse to dignify that question with an answer."

"That's all right. I read your mind anyway."

----------------------------------------------

"This is so cool!" said Kayain as he loaded the doll back in the big slingshot.

"I know! I'm glad you thought of it!" said Diana.

Kayain shot the little doll and it flew into a box by the wall.

"He shoots, he scores!" said Kayain. Suddenly there is a ring at the doorbell. "Whoa, anyone order room service?"

"I did. I ordered something we can use for this."

"Better see what they want then."

Kayain opens the door and sees a man in a suit standing between two of what he thought were two dummies in yellow and blue spandex. One was clearly female and one male. But the first thought that comes to mind is if those things are alive, how are they breathing in those bullet helmets?

"Umm… Hello. You guys, uh, Mormons?" said Kayain.

They look at each other, and the man in a suit says," Not exactly sir. We-"

"Wait, wait, wait! I think I know what you're here for," interrupted Kayain. "Hey DI! Did you order any crash dummies?"

"Maybe… Those guys at the front desk said they'd give us something to throw at when I ordered room service," said Diana as she skipped to the door. "Oh! Looks like they did!"

"They aren't-"

"Come in, come in!" said Diana as she pushed them all inside. "Oh these guys are very lifelike! Now let's have these things wait right there…"

"Madam! If you don't mind I-"

"Heeeey!" Said Kayain as he put an arm around the man. "Just relax man! Go with the flow and you'll see something very funny in just a minute."

"What is _that_ thing?" said the man as Diana wheeled around their large sling shot.

"You'll see."

"Ready," said Diana as she loaded the sling shot with two cream pies. "Got my camera on… and FIRE!"

Diana released the bands and sent the pies flying at the two spandex clad people. One hit the male on the chest and the other hit the female square in the face.

Diana skipped and said," Woohoo! My shots were perfect, just like the book said!"

"Damn right!" said Kayain giving her a high five.

When it comes to learning from books, Diana was technically a genius. However her common sense was chased out of the gene pool because her knowledge side peed in it.

The two spandex people stood there as the male one extended a pair of claws from his hands. The man in a suit shook his head and mouthed the words,' Not yet,' and the male retracted his claws.

"Oh ho ho! That's rich," said Kayain as he looked at the camera with Diana. "Now do it again in slow mo!"

"Ahem!" said the man in the suit.

"Oh my bad!" said Kayain. He reaches in his pocket and hands him a fifty dollar bill and says," Keep the change Mack."

"If you please sir, I am a lawyer, not a delivery boy."

"A lawyer eh? I guess you're expecting more than a fifty right?"

"What is a lawyer doing giving us room service?" said Diana thoughtfully. "Wait, this isn't about those extra soaps I too- ah, borrowed from the front is it? I mean they _said _it was free…"

"I am not room service, or any kind of bellhop for that matter. I represent Crey Corporation. These are my associates, from the Paragon Protector division."

"You mean they're real people!" said Diana.

The to Protectors wiped the pie off and strode to the lawyer's side.

"EEEK! Oh my God, I am so sorry!" said Diana.

"Never mind that madam. I need to speak with two heroes who are registered here. They go by the names, Biggs, and Lu Bu."

"Now wait just a minute there mister!" said Diana as she approached one of them. "How do those guys breathe in those helmets? I mean come on now! They look like they're wearing a big hollowed out bullet on their heads!"

Kayain examined the female one and said," And that lady there looks like she's wearing some kind of bullet bra, if you know what I mean. Hur hur…"

"Please sir, I need to speak with Lu Bu and Biggs-"

"And what's with the super tight tights mister?" asked Diana. "Last night I read all of Paragon City's laws, and I thought showing off your genitals in public was against the law wasn't it?"

He sighed and shook his head as he said," Is there anyone else I can speak with?"

"Hua? Oh yea, I suppose. AMI! Some folks here to see you!"

Ami pokes her head out and says," Do try and keep it down. Sick patients need their rest."

"Yea we have some folks who want to talk with you. One guy's a lawyer, and the other two are… well this guy here has his balls showing."

"What? Oh. Oh-my!" said Ami, not really intending to look at the spandex man. She blushes and looks at the lawyer as she says, "And what is this about sir?"

"This," he says as he pulls out a paper. "These are the charges my client has filed against your friends who assaulted and humiliated him."

"Come again?"

"Your friends savagely attacked my client, tied him up and used super glue all over him, and they also stuffed a very large piece of ginger up his anus."

Kayain and Diana fell down on top of each other laughing hard when he said that last part.

"I can assure you that sodomy is no laughing matter."

"Yea, ha ha, except when you sodomize a clown! Then you're _supposed _to laugh! Hur hur!" said Kayain.

"Kayain! If Cherry heard you say that, she'd have a fit!" said Ami.

"Mister, _Kayain_ is it?" said the Lawyer nastily. "I find you to be very crude and vulgar. And if it were up to me, I'd have you arrested as well."

"Arrested as _well_?" said Ami. "Wait! You mean Biggs and Lu Bu are under arrest?"

"Yes, ma'am. That's what these two are for," he said, indicating the Paragon Protectors.

"Whoa, whoa," said Kayain. "Hold on a minute… these guys don't look like normal police, so why should they go with you guys?"

"These Protectors are called that for a reason. They are super powered enough to take care of any kind of resistance that other super powered people may offer. I can assure you they have the right to arrest as well as use deadly force if necessary."

Kayain grinned and wiggled his fingers in a patronizing way and said," Ooh scary, big bullet heads in colored tights with their balls showing. Look pal, I trained my boys well, and sure they may be quirky and reek of cabbage, but they don't just grab innocent people off the streets and start shoving roots up their bungholes for no reason. I can guarantee you your _client_ must have done something to them."

"That's a matter for the courts to decide. The fact is the deed was done, and we've got a warrant for their arrest."

"Out of the question," said Ami. "They're extremely sick and still need immediate medical attention! Even your law should state that you can't take them as they are."

"Ami's right!" said Diana. "I should know. I read the entire law book last night cause I was bored."

"The entire thing?" said the Lawyer.

"Well not the entire thing… I didn't read the ads in the back. But still! You can't take them they're too sick!"

"That's not my problem ma'am. We have our orders, and we're going to see them through."

Kayain knew where this was heading, and he didn't like it one bit. He said," What the hell is your name mister?"

"I am Adrian Carey, Crey's most trusted attorney," he said. He added while looking at Ami," And if I were you madam, I would release them to us at once. Crey is a very powerful and-"

"And if _I _was you pal," said Kayain prodding him with a finger. "I would probably back the hell off from our good doctor here before you get hurt."

"Is that a _threat_ mister Kayain?"

"You're ga-damn right it is! If you ever talk to this sweet lady like that again I'll rip your balls off, and mail them to your momma."

"How dare you!"

"Yea, yea trying to get all indignant on me. You corporate types are all the same! You bully the common folks, and when some wise guy has had enough bullying and starts fighting back, you ruin him completely with all your silly loopholes in the law. You guys bribe, threaten, and corrupt shamelessly and you've got the gall to come up to meand say that _I'm _the one threatening you! Your client probably deserved everything he got and more! And if I was there, I would have shoved a pineapple up his ass instead! I-"

Kayain stopped abruptly. As quick as a flash the male Protector shoved his claws inside Kayain's gut. He held it there, and pulled it out slowly. Kayain looked down in astonishment and gripped his stomach. He sees the blood and crumples to the ground in a heap.

Diana and Ami screamed when they saw him fall. The lawyer looked nonchalant as he straightened his tie and said," That was clearly a case of self-defense. Thank you sir. Now if you would ladies, bring me those two or things are going to get very ugly here."

"No please don't hurt me mister!" said Diana. "I'll do anything you want! Honest!"

"That's what I like to hear. Both of you, bring me these two offenders."

"But they're very heavy!" said Ami.

"And that is not my problem now is it? Bring them to me or suffer the same fate as your friend here."

"Oh yes sir!" said Diana as she watched Kayain silently get up behind them." Please just take them and go in peace!"

"There's a good girl. At least _you _know your place."

Kayain shook his head as he stood behind the male Protector. He motioned to the female one, and Diana gave a small nod.

"Just one last thing mister high and mighty lawyer," said Diana.

"What's that?"

Diana stuck out her tongue and threw the finger at him.

"What-"

Kayain calmly wrapped his arms around the neck of the male Protector and pulled him to the floor holding him in a deadly headlock. Diana leaped forward at the female one who took a swing at her. Diana easily dodged the oncoming attacks, and unleashed a flurry of hits with focused anti-magic channeled through her hands.

Diana quickly defeated the Protector and notices the lawyer trying to run away. She easily chased him down and tackled him.

"Going somewhere?"

"No! You can't do this to me! You'll be very sorry!"

"I doubt that. You think Crey's going to be here to stop what I'm going to do to you right now?"

Diana lifts him up on her shoulders and carries him off. Back in the living room, there are two Protectors lying unconscious on the floor. Kayain is already drawing faces on the masks as Diana carries the lawyer to the kitchen.

"Welcome to my favorite room," she says as she slams him on the table. "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"I won't… ACK!" he said as Diana starts duct taping his hands.

He tries to fight back, but Diana is in much better shape, stronger than he is, and knows how to use leverage. She gets all the tape on him and is able to tie him up in a very awkward position

"This," she says holding up a piece of ginger. "Is for threatening me and my friend Ami."

He squirms as he sees the ginger.

"And _this_ is for your attempted murder on my little brother you, you… big… ARGH! Just looking at you makes me want to puke!"

She holds up a pineapple and he screams like a 4-year-old girl.

"T-t-that won't fit!" he pleads.

"You'd be surprised."

"How would I get that out!" he says panicking.

"That's not my problem now is it?"

"Don't do this! I'm begging you!"

He screams again as Kayain barges in. He doesn't say a word as he marches up to the man and tears him off the fridge. Diana knows when Kayain has that look in his eye, it's best not to disagree with him for any reason.

She follows him as he drags him to a balcony, turns him around, grabs him by his tie, and hangs him off the edge.

"OOOWWW! Don't drop me! OOW!"

"Now, what are you _really_ up to jackass?"

"The countess, OOW, told me to get those two by any means necessary, OOW! They've got something that belongs to her and she wants it back! That's all I, OOW, know I swear!"

"Not good enough! And you'd better talk faster before I loose my grip."

"OOW! Oh God! Ok, Ok! They were doing some experiments and that soda they drank had the contents, OOW!"

"What was _in _the soda?"

"I don't know! All I, OOW, know is it's in their system and we need it back for a project!"

"How do they plan on removing it?"

"They can control it! OOW, and they can also remove it just as easily!"

"Good, then you will go tell them to stop it. Or else I will visit you again personally."

"OOW, The countess will not be swayed so easily!"

"I can tell the world about what you've told me."

"It's not that easy! They've got the power. They, OOW, own the police and the whole justice system! It's literally impossible to convict her in any court!"

Kayain knew those types of people, they really got his blood boiling. No matter how many times you try, they will never go to jail. These people had fields where they harvested lawyers, each a mindless, relentless machine that can twist the law in their favor. It literally _was_ impossible to get any justice on these people.

He also knew that the Vigilante way was the only true way there would be justice for these criminals.

He frowned at the man and said," You know something mister lawyer? You're absolutely right. Legally there is no way we can harm this, countess."

Kayain pulled him back over and threw him to the floor. The man slowly tried to get up, and Kayain pushed him back down and said," I didn't say you could get up! I know your type and I know you put good men behind bars. You do this in the name of your company, and get loads of money for it! Tell me, how do you sleep at night knowing that you've sentenced some little daughter's daddy behind bars because he didn't give in to your pompous threats! Hua! Tell me!"

"I-I…"

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" said Kayain as he slapped the man. "Don't look at the floor! Look at me! Tell me! Do you believe what you do is right? Hua? HEY! I said look at me not at the floor! There's no answers down there! Look at me in the eyes and TELL ME!"

"Kayain," said Diana carefully. "Please, let's discuss what we need to do next."

Kayain sneered and spit at the man as he stormed out with Diana. He sharply turns around and says," Don't you dare get up! Stay put!" And with that he slams the balcony door shut.

"Kayain," said Diana very quietly. "Are you thinking about little Sarah?"

"Di," He said with his lip trembling. "When I looked in that man's eyes earlier I saw _his_ face again. Same look, same job, same everything…"

"Kayain… please don't."

Diana sighed. She remembered their visit to Q'Hagia recently. There they suffered a terrible defeat to a corporation called Nexus.

Nexus was a company very much like Crey. They dealt in things from pharmaceutical drugs, food products, vehicle production, machine production, communications, and many other things.

They were extremely powerful and were supposedly untouchable.

A man named Arikh Marrion had contacted them and explained that he wanted out of the company because of all the corruption. He had seen and turned a blind eye to many of the horrible experiments that went on in Nexus, and he had enough. He was a family man now, with a beautiful little daughter. The last thing he ever wanted was for his daughter to find out of the things that happened at work.

When he tired to leave, Nexus didn't take kindly to it. He held many of their secrets, and the last thing they wanted was a liability. A friend from work gave him a warning that they were coming after him, so he asked them to help.

The Vigilantes tried to hide the rest of the family by sending them away to Matronia. But they were unaware that they were already too late. From the moment Arikh put in his resignation, he was being tracked. Eventually they found the rest of his family, the mother and the 5-year-old daughter. When their agents paid them a visit, they killed her mother and made it look like Arikh had done it. They kidnapped the daughter and made it look like he did that as well.

While Sarah was kidnapped they performed horrible experiments to her. They told the Vigilantes that they would let her go if he turns himself in and never says a word against them. Cherry begged him not to do it, and they would not keep their word. She pleaded with him to let them take care of the situation. Despite Cherry's advice to the man, he was desperate enough to give himself up to end his daughter's suffering.

It was an impossible case to win. The judge, and the jury were all hand selected by Nexus. Kayain was in the courtroom with Cherry, Danyel, and Diana. Kayain still remembers the lawyer that did all that too him. He remembers the arrogance, the smug satisfaction in his face as he continued his assault with no remorse or mercy.

He wanted so badly to tear that man to pieces.

The verdict was a death sentence for the nature of the case. The wife was savagely murdered, and the daughter was raped and tortured. They had brought in Sarah, who had supposedly been 'found', to testify. But Sarah was tormented to insanity, and all she would do is scream. The father died early in his misery for his wife and daughter. Nexus was left unharmed, and much richer due to the publicity.

When there was nothing more they could do, they decided it was time to leave. Kayain hated defeat, but the damage was done, and there was no fixing it.

Before they left Kayain went to see little Sarah in the hospital. During his visit, he brought her a chocolate bunny filled with cream, which he knew was her favorite. Sarah didn't speak anymore, just had horrible fits, or would react with extreme violence. When Kayain entered the room she was having a fit. She noticed him and suddenly went quiet, surprising the nurses. He asked the nurses if he could have some time with her, and they reluctantly agreed. They gave Sarah, her last doses of medicine for the day and left the room.

Kayain sat in silence with her for a very long time. He remembered her as a very outgoing and friendly child. She was a natural Daddy's girl, and became very attached to Kayain quickly. While they were under their protection, Kayain would play with little Sarah and keep her entertained.

While Cherry and the others would be discussing plans, he would be either singing to her, tossing her in the air, chasing her, tickling her, have tea parties, or teach her board games. And every time he'd come by, she'd latch on to him and want to sit on his shoulders. Those two seemed inseparable, and Cherry thought it was the cutest thing.

As he sat beside her, he looked into her eyes. The Sarah he knew was gone. The insanity had taken hold of her, and he saw it there looking back at him. He wanted so badly to lash out at Nexus, and wouldn't know where to begin. He felt completely helpless.

Suddenly, Sarah stood up from her chair, and ran to Kayain. She jumped on him and wrapped her arms around him and said," I love you Kayain…"

Kayain didn't know what to do, so he embraced her back. He held her tightly in his arms for what seemed like an eternity. Then her arms went slack, and she grew cold. Kayain drew back and looked at her.

Little Sarah was dead; she died peacefully in his arms.

Kayain embraced her again and wept.

It wasn't till the next day upon autopsy they found that little Sarah had been poisoned through the IV that one of the nurses used. Upon further investigations, someone impersonated a nurse and had gotten in with the poison.

Some people called it negligence, but the Vigilantes knew better. It was Nexus, finishing up the job.

And at that moment, Kayain could see the trouble starting all over again. This time, they were the victims.

"Di…" he said. "What happened with Little Sarah wasn't the first time. And it isn't going to be the last either. That man out there has probably ruined many people like Little Sarah, and plenty more. He deserves pain, Di. Pain and humiliation."

"You're not going to torture him are you?"

"Not my style Di, and you know that. No but Humiliation is.

"Oh good. You had me worried for a sec."

"Di?"

"Yea?"

"Were you really going to shove that pineapple up his ass?'

"No. I just wanted him to squeal. I've never done that kind of stuff before."

"Don't. It'll ruin you."

She smiled slightly and said," So what are we going to do with these guys?"

"Listen… No matter what we do, we've got Crey's attention. They're going to be just like Nexus, and try everything they can legally to get us. But not before they use their thugs again at us. So first off, we tighten security around here."

"Check."

"Cherry will know what to do, she's paranoid enough for that. Next, we need to send them a message… something to let them know what will happen if they try and stop a Vigilante," he said as he thought for a moment. "And I think I know what. Di?"

"Yes Kayain?"

"I'm gonna need lots of permanent marker, all colors… Oh some construction paper, scissors, lots of velvet, super glue, feathers, a couple of razor blades, a large box, and a sandwich."

"A sandwich?"

"I'm hungry."

"Oh. Well I have most of that in my bag."

"Really? Dare I ask why?"

"You never know…"

Kayain walked back to the living area and pulled over the two Paragon Protectors to the balcony. The man was still cowering on the floor, and he put his foot on his chest, leaned over and said," Alright scumbag, it's time for a little fun."

"W-what are you going to do!"

"I'm going to mail you in a box to Crey Corp."

"You can't be serious!"

"Oh yes, Indeed I am!"

"Why are you doing this!"

"Let's just say, this is the only language you guys understand. And it's either leave here in a body bag, or a shipping box. Your choice."

He wasn't used to people in charge. When he was in cases like these he was in complete control most of the time. And at the moment he was not in control of anything. Especially not his bladder.

"All right, all right, the box!" he said weakly.

"Good. You're going back to Crey Corp first class pal!"

"T-this isn't going to hurt is it?"

"I hope so," said Kayain as he punched the man, knocking him out.

----------------------------------------------

_Damn_, thought Cherry. _It's not supposed to be like this. Regina's supposed to be just a tag along. And now _I'm_ the one who feels like a third wheel! This isn't right. Not to mention this traffic jam is horrid!_

"So," said Cherry taking a stab at conversation. "Ah, what kind of music do you listen to LD?"

"It doesn't matter really. You can go ahead and turn on the radio seeing how we're going to be here a while."

"Anything you prefer?"

"No."

"Ok."

"Except that," he said as Cherry turned to a country station.

"Well I don't know what stations you have here so let's see…"

"And that. Don't play that." He said as he heard a rap station.

"Ok…"

"No pop music either. I can't stand it."

"What about-"

"Not that either."

"And-"

"Nope."

"You know for someone who has no preference in music you certainly are picky."

"Yea I know… What's that? A dance station? Oh man I hate-"

"I dig those beats," said Regina. "Makes me want to dance, don't you agree?"

"Oh yea!" said Lord Daniel. "Definitely! One of my favorite stations! Keep it there."

Cherry refrained from laughing. She knew he wasn't into dance music, and knew that Regina knew he didn't either.

"You know we all do some remixes ourselves," she said.

"Really? You guys do remixes?"

"Yea, we do all kinds of music," said Cherry.

"Yea, we all have DJ names we made up too," said Regina. "I'm DJ Paradox, Cherry here is Mindstorm, Danyel is Entropy, Diana just uses her name, and Kayain is Buckfutter."

Daniel gave a sharp laugh when he heard Kayain's name. "That Kayain is something else isn't he?" he said.

"You have no idea," said Cherry.

"So, you guys really do play all kinds of music eh?"

"Sure do. Consider traveling light years at a time. Traveling takes a couple weeks, or even months sometimes. So we have _lots_ of free time while traveling. Why do you ask though?"

"Well I'm having a charity concert in a few weeks, and was wondering if you guys would come and play… You know if you want to."

"I'm all for that," said Cherry. "What kind of music are we talking about?"

"All things considered, we're going to stick with rock. Nothing heavy please, since we're going to have families there."

"We can do that. How about it Gina?"

"Sounds great! Oh Danny, you're so thoughtful, inviting us to play at your concert."

"Ah-ha, well I'd need to hear some of your music first, then you can play in the charity concert."

"And did you hear that Cherry? It's a concert for charity! Geeze Danny, you're kind… and handsome to boot," said Regina as she messed with Daniel's hair from the backseat. Daniel grinned broadly and Cherry looked away making notions like she was going to puke.

----------------------------------------------

"What the hell was going on here?" said Danyel putting his hands on his hips. "Look at that! There's pie all over the floor. Cherry's going to have a fit! And what's in that box?"

"You mean you didn't hear anything?" asked Kayain.

"Notta thing man. You mind telling me what's going on here?"

"Ah I will in a minute. I'd rather have everyone here though."

"And what's in that box?"

"Ah, a good question, but the better question is can you teleport it somewhere specific?"

"That takes a great deal of concentration. And right now I want some answers!"

"All right, I'll give you the gist of it. You remember Nexus?"

Danyel frowned and said," I still have nightmares about it."

"Same here. How about Crey Corp? Ever hear of them?"

"Somewhat… No, no, let me guess; Crey is an evil company like Nexus, and they sent some goons to rough us up right?"

"Dead on balls accurate."

"Damnit," he said as he folded his arms in a Cherry-like way. "Sometimes I hate being right. So what does Crey want with us?"

"They want Biggs and Lu Bu. That soda they drank had some experimental technology in it. And I think it's some pretty heavy tech for them to want it this badly.

"They send the usual lawyer with some thugs?"

"Right again."

Danyel thought for a moment about this. When an overpowered company does that, it means they're probably not doing something legal. He knew that this was going to develop into something big. He asked," What has Ami said?"

"She said the reason she couldn't find what was wrong with them was because she was looking for something biological, and this was something else. This kind of stuff is beyond her, and there's nothing she can do about something like that."

Danyel nodded and looked away rubbing his chin.

"Is there anything _you_ could cook up?" asked Kayain. "Some kind of potion that would poof this away?"

"It's not that simple, Kayain. I'd have to get a few samples of the tech, and run tests on what works and what will react badly."

"So it'll take some time?"

"A long time. As you know, Magic and Tech don't work very well together without some kind of catalyst. Finding out the exact component with that specific tech will be excruciatingly difficult."

"I didn't understand a word of that Dan. All I know is that they will more than likely die if we don't do something. And Cherry won't let her teammates get tossed to some company and be chopped to bits for some tech."

"Let's call the others here… Oh, there you are Solo."

"That's Ango," said Ango.

"Oh so you're Ango today?" asked Danyel.

"What do you mean? I have always been Ango…"

Solo's alter ego Ango was unaware of his other half. Sometimes you just had to look closely at them to tell them apart. For example Ango, who was a ninja, would be sneaking around, while Solo would lumber around.

"All right Ango, where were you when this took place?"

"Meditating."

Another difference was when Ango said he was meditating, he really was. When Solo said it he was looking at some interesting pictures with a box of Kleenex at his side.

"Ok, and where was Kat- Oh my…"

Kat walks in with his body covered in a sheet of ice.

"Guys, I finally worked out my fire shield spell! Can you guys see the fire on me?"

"Uhh... Kat, you might want to look again," said Danyel.

"What? I can't find my eye. It flew away this morning. Right now I'm looking at a bird's nest. But that's ok It usually comes back when it feels like it."

"Right… About your fire shield, well… It's not a fire shield. Can you feel it?"

"What do you mean it's not a fire shield? I read the Braille book of spells correctly!"

"You're covered in ice, man."

"Ice? Well that can't be right… Unless I… Oh, you know I think I zigged when I should have zagged."

"Yea man, go try again. And by the way, something big is going down, so when Cherry gets back, we're having a group meeting."

"Will do good buddy!"

"That solves that, now where is DeVall?"

"He went back to the ship," said Ango.

"What! Why?"

"Have you forgotten? It's Dungeons and Dragons night with the crew."

"Well I-"

"Hey where _is_ Cherry again?" asked Kayain.

Danyel rubs his temple irritably as he says," Weren't you paying attention during this morning's meeting?"

"Ah sorry, I was staring at her breasts most of the time."

Danyel narrows his eyes at him and says," Do you always choose important times to stare at my sister's chest? Well it just so happens last night I was staring at-"

"AH! Shut up! I already know what you're going to say!"

Danyel grins smugly and says," Anyway, it just so happens that Cherry is on her way to see this Crey Company."

"Oh no," says Kayain as he gets on his communicator. "Cherry! Come in!"

After a few seconds he hears," Yes Kayain?"

"Cherry! Don't go to Crey! They're evil bastards! They sent some goons here to kill us!"

"Come again?" said Cherry.

"Hur hur, you said- ACK! NO! I mean you guys are in danger! If they find out who you are they'll try and kill you!"

"Slow down Kayain. What the hell is going on?"

"Better let me talk," said Danyel. "Hey sis, do not go to Crey's headquarters. It's very dangerous."

"We're already at the doorstep, what's up?"

"Listen sis, these guys are no good! It's Nexus all over again!"

There was a bit of silence on the other end for a few seconds. Then Cherry said," You serious?"

"Dead on balls serious!" said Kayain.

"Yea sis, very serous," said Danyel.

"All right, we won't go in. Lemme contact Tylar and we'll come back."

"Hey Dan," said Kayain. "Is it possible you can teleport this box to Cherry?"

"Well, yea it is. For the last time, what's in this box?"

"The goons."

"Oh," a lifetime of Kayain knowledge finally dawned on him as he realized what the inside would probably look like. "OH! I see. Gotcha. Hey Cherry, I want to teleport something to you."

"What is it?" she asked.

"A box. A very special box that Kayain put the goons inside."

"Oh." She said followed by another," OH! I see. Gotcha. So you want to teleport them to me? I can open an astral channel temporarily, if you can send them through."

"Sounds good. These guys are all gift wrapped in a box, so it shouldn't be too hard."

Danyel concentrated for a few moments, and suddenly his eyes began to glow blue. He lifted his arms slowly and the box rose in the air. The box levitated momentarily, then disappeared. Danyel soon went out of the trance and fell over.

Diana picked him up, and he said," I'm ok. Cherry? You got it?"

"Yes… Wish I could see the expression on their faces when they open this, but I think we should leave."

----------------------------------------------

"Umm… Countess?" said Hopkins. "There is a message for you."

The countess looked up from her paperwork and said," Yes? What is it?"

"I think you'd better come and see this. It's outside."

She sighed and sat up.

"This had better be good," she said.

"It's… Well it's from some group who calls themselves the Vigilantes. I believe they're the same group who drank the Cola."

"Oh? I thought the situation was 'handled' already."

"I thought it would be as well. But apparently Carey failed miserably, and he's outside with a message."

"Why doesn't he just come up here and give it to me?"

"Because it would be very painful for him."

The countess looked out her window to see people gathered around a little spot in the breezeway.

"Is _that_ what you're talking about?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Can't you just _tell_ me what's going on down there?"

"I don't want to say ma'am…"

Finally she gives up and heads to the elevators with Hopkins.

Down on the ground floor, she sees the employees in an uproar. Once they notice her, they begin to settle down.

"All right! What's going on here! Everyone back to work!" said the Countess as people scattered away from her.

She approaches the lady at the front reception and asks," What the hell is going on outside?"

"Oh something awful ma'am! Someone's gone and done something terrible to Adrian and two Protectors ma'am!"

"Where are they?"

"Right out there ma'am. It's disgusting what those thugs did!"

The countess steps outside and sees people around the breezeway. They part to make way for her, and sees what they're all talking about.

Adrian Carey and the two protector's heads are all shaved completely of all hair. Adrian is apparently glued with his lips pressing the male protector's butt, and likewise the female one is kissing his butt. All of their fingers seem glued to a flip off position, and their bodies are covered in feathers. The female one has construction paper over her eyes, and written her outfit says,' The common folk'. Adrian has a pair of horns on his head made from construction paper, and written on him is 'Crey Cox'. And the male one has a pair of wings, and the words,' The Vigilantes. An ass you will kiss.'

But the biggest thing on them was the huge velvet bows. She figured they too were glued on.

"Get them help," said the Countess. "And send them to me once they can speak. I want names. Hopkins, these _Vigilantes_ are going to pay seriously for this."

"Yes, ma'am."

"If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get. But we have the upper hand. We control when those two people will die. We could use that as an advantage."

----------------------------------------------

"They even had the hired thugs as well eh?" said Tylar.

"Yea man," said Kayain. "Hundreds of em! Fortunately I took them all on. Di and Ami were there too. They helped… a little. But I knew if they killed me, then they were probably going to try and hurt them. But I took care of them cause I'm so freaking nice."

Tylar sneered and said," Kayain I find your stories lacking in credibility, but the fact that you were all in danger will not have me rebuttal to your story.

"Re-what?"

"Never mind. Anyway they were trying to harm to Ami!" He said with his fists clenched. "Oh and you two Di… So we won't let them get away with that now will we?"

"Easy Romeo," said Diana. "We'll need a plan of action at this point! Cherry, what do you have?"

Cherry sat at the end of the table while they were discussing the issue. She put her hands to her chin and said," This is indeed another Nexus type case we'll be dealing with. Let's look at the factors shall we?"

Cherry stood up and paced a bit as she said," First and foremost Lu Bu and Biggs happened to ingest their equipment. What it does, we don't know. However we do know it will kill them should Crey decide to. Therefore tampering with it is out of the question. It's my guess that they need them alive for research purposes. That doesn't mean though, that they will _not_ be willing to kill them should they deem it necessary. Therefore we're at their mercy at that point."

She stopped and leaned over the table, purposefully putting her chest in very close proximity of Kayain's eyes.

"Other factors," she said. "Are legal factors. Crey will no doubt try and get the real authorities after us. Only thing is we don't have any kinds of records here."

"What about Freedom Corp.?" asked Danyel. "We registered online, which I can tell by the look on your face you're not happy about."

"No," she said as she continued her pace. "I know they have a very secretive policy on all heroes. Don't ask, don't tell… Kayain, that is _so_ not funny"

"Oh come on," he said. "Have you _seen_ their Longbow outfits?"

Cherry chuckled at the memory of it and says," Ok you're right, it is a bit funny. And about your registration I hope that you did _not_ register this place, and only your first names."

"My name was already taken," said Diana with a frown. "I had to use my title as well."

Cherry stops pacing and looks at her," You didn't use your full name did you?"

"No," she said. "But I used my title Diana VII."

Diana's family had a small tradition of naming a daughter Diana. They would always name at least one daughter from a generation, and then either her or her siblings would name one of their children Diana.

"I suppose that's ok, as long as you don't use your last name. I mean there's probably plenty variations of the name Diana in this town right?"

"About five hundred and eighty two to be exact," she said as everyone looked at her. "I read the phonebook last night."

No one had any doubts about that. Diana was like a sponge when it came to gathering information from books.

"In that case," said Tylar. "Perhaps you can tell us where to find a woman named Janet Kellum?"

"Let's see," she said as she looked upward. "Janet Kellum… there was two of those, one was in 2301 Southeast street, Brickstown, and another was 45890 Watercurrent, at the hotel Vance Apartment number 409 of Founders Falls."

"Not bad," said Cherry. "We'll try them both. Tylar, who is this Janet Kellum?"

"Well," he said and cleared his throat. "While I was over at D.A.T.A. they mentioned this Bureau called the Federal Bureau of Superpowered Affairs. FBSA for short. They were talking about how they deal in special cases like… oh say the government has a dossier on some mobsters from another country, right? Normally that kind of thing is for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Well let's just say the mobsters can shoot lightning from their fingertips. Then the jurisdiction switches to the FBSA's hands."

"Ok, so it's the feds for supers," said Cherry. "And Janet Kellum is an agent I suppose?"

"Indubitably."

"I like it when he talks all funny-like," said Kayain.

"Kayain, hush," snapped Cherry.

"When I mentioned Crey," said Tylar "All the folks who worked there said they were very shifty and shouldn't be trusted. When they hacked- Err…"

"It's ok Tylar. You don't have to cover for them just because they hack sites like you do."

"Ah-ha… Well ok, they hack the bureau's database every now and then just to prove they can. They showed me how to do it if you want."

"That would be good," said Cherry as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Find what you can and run it through our data sponge."

Diana perks her head up startled. She blinks and tries to pretend she was awake and says," Hua? Wha? Someone call me?"

"We need you to remember loads of things on a website," said Cherry. "Probably a couple thousand terabytes of information."

"Mmmkay, I'll have it done sometime tomorrow," said Diana as she laid her head back down.

"Janet Kellum has been assigned on a case against Crey," said Tylar. "She's personally trying to bring down the countess."

"Now _that_ takes guts," said Kayain. "With Nexus the federal agent who tried to investigate was never heard from again."

"And life went on like usual anyway," said Cherry sadly. "All right, if this Kellum woman wants a bit of help taking the Countess down, I say we help out. We'll get in contact with her and tell her about our situation. This will definitely perk her interest."

Cherry sat back down in her chair and said," All right, the game plan is we get in contact with Janet Kellum, as well as keeping extra security up here. Now I seriously doubt they will attack the entire building to get to us. That's a bit extreme. But I would avoid windows, and keep the curtains drawn at all times. Snipers can come from many directions. Also be weary of the room service."

Cherry gave Kayain a scowl and said," _This_ was the reason I wanted for us to bring our own food."

"Right, I'm _always _wrong!" said Kayain rolling his eyes.

Cherry, not in the mood to argue said," Thanks, but we already knew that."

"Hey! I-"

"Danyel and I will place up barriers around the area to let us know who comes in and out. Nothing harmful since we have maids and such up here. Just something to let us know when they come up."

"Gotcha," said Danyel. "I'll put up a web on the door that only allows it to open for us."

"Sounds good," said Cherry. " Now does anyone have any good ideas at this point?"

Kayain raised a hand enthusiastically and said," OH! Me! I have a great idea that no one has thought of before."

"Oh, hold on a sec," said Danyel as he pulled out something from his pocket. "These are always good. I put his ideas on my website under my Humor section."

Cherry put her hand on her face and said," What Kayain…"

"Get this. Tylar you should be paying attention cause this is a good idea and you should patent it. We could have a television made completely out of chocolate. It's inexpensive cause it's chocolate, and it lets you watch TV at the same time. It'll be called, the 'TV Dinner'."

She peered at his grinning face through her fingers and said," Kayain… In the deep dark realms of your mind, may I ask why- No, I won't ask why, but where in the world did this non sequitur, and completely moronic answer come from?"

Kayain grinned wider and said," Your momma."

_I will get you back for this Kayain,_ thought Cherry.

"Does anyone else have anything _relevant_ to say?"

"What about poison in the water?" asked Regina.

"Again, a little too extreme. This place has top executives and head honchos for many other organizations that they own, or some people here could be important executives that they need. Killing absolutely everyone in the building would definitely get our attention, and the attention of a very large force of FBSA agents."

"What kinds of attacks should we expect from them?" asked Kat.

"Well they already threatened with some goons, next comes the less overt approach. Assassination, kidnapping, and such. Just stay vigilant like you always do, and you'll be ok."

"What about these legal threats?" asked Regina.

Cherry paced slowly again and said," They're probably working in the intricate threads of the law as we speak. The minute we make a move on them, they'll pounce with their lawyers and the local police."

"If Crey's goons were able to find us," said Danyel. "Then would it be safe to assume that they could give the authorities information on our whereabouts?"

"Yes, you could assume that. But consider that this whole apartment suite is being checked out with Lord Daniel's account. Think about it. Crey had to have done lots of illegal searches on this to get information on Lord Daniel to find out any kind of association with us. Crey would have to give an explanation on how and why they know this. As a matter of fact, I'm curious on how they _did_ find where we were."

"What about an anonymous tip?" asked Regina.

"They don't typically go by a completely 'anonymous' tip. And even then, they'd need a warrant to come inside to investigate. And I pride you guys for your ability to hide things… well at least our illegal things."

Kayain, who felt a whole minute go by without his valuable input, said," Cherry?"

"And about these shields," said Tylar. "They won't interfere with our work now will they?"

"No," she said as she leaned purposefully toward Kayain again. "At least not much. You might feel their presence, but that's it."

"Cherry?"

"It won't burn my skin will it?" asked Tylar.

"Not the ones we're going to use. Like I said earlier, I don't want bystanders hurt."

"Cherry?"

"I see," said Tylar thoughtfully. "Just a little nuance?"

"Cherry?"

"Yes, a very little nuisance. And we'll deal with it like we Vigilantes deal with all minor annoyances and nuisances-"

"Cherry?"

"We ignore it until it simply goes away."

"Cherry?"

Cherry turned around and waited until Kayain stopped. She turned back and smiled as she said," Any more questions?"

----------------------------------------------

Janet Kellum was ready for a good long sleep. After a long day at the office, and pulling a muscle at the gym, she was worn out and ready for the weekend. She got into bed after a warm shower, turned off the lights, turned on the white noise maker, and closed her eyes.

A few minutes of silence went by before the phone blasted right next to her ear.

_Shit,_ she thought. _I knew I forgot something. Gotta turn that damn ringer off at night._

She sleepily reached over and picked it up and said," This better be good."

The female voice on the other line said," Umm… Hi!"

"Can I help you?"

She heard several other voices on the line and finally heard," Oh, right! Umm… You don't know who I am, but I know where you live-"

"I know what you did last summer!" she heard another voice say and laugh.

"Kayain! Shut up!"

Janet hung up.

She turned off the ringer and lay back down. Moments later she found that when the phone rings, there is a light that flashes on her phone. The light lit up the entire room, and really bothered anyone trying to rest.

She picked up the phone and said," Leave me alone!"

"Please Janet! I'm sorry about that. My brother was being an idiot. Don't hang up, this is very important."

"What do you want, and how do you know my name?"

"You're Janet Kellum of the FBSA right?"

"That's me, and how did you find me?"

"Process of elimination. The other Janet Kellum was a dockside worker with a beard and a peg leg."

"Very impressive reasoning," she said sarcastically. "But what do you want?"

"My name is Diana, and we hear you're on a special assignment against Crey Corp."

Janet yawned a bit and said," I _will_ be after I wrap up a missing persons case."

"Well, me and my team were recently attacked by Crey, and we want to fight back!"

"That's lovely dear, but do you realize what time it is?"

The voice seemed to consider this for a moment and said," Time for justice?"

"Time for you to get a clock, it's 2am."

"Listen Janet, that's not all. My friends got sick drinking this cola they were making."

"Crey Cola? They were advertising it, but it hasn't come out yet."

"That's cause it's infested with Nando-Technology"

Another voice from the back said," Nano-Technology!"

"Right, that's what I said, Nano-Technology. The soda is full of Nando-whatsits, and they are under Crey's control!"

Janet rubbed her forehead and said," Ok so you have my information and Crey has attacked you. If you let me get some sleep for now can we meet somewhere tomorrow?"

"Goodie! Yes, yes! Let's meet tomorrow then. Where would you like to meet?"

"Let's meet by the sculpture in north Founder's falls. Let's make this around 3 pm, all right?"

"Sounds good… We'll wave you down, we know what you look like."

"You know a lot about me, how?"

The voice said, very cheerfully," We hacked F.B.S.A.'s database and read all about you!"

"Mmm mhm…" said Janet tiredly.

"For one we know you are 26, Brown hair, 5'5, Sleeps with a teddy bear-"

"Whoa, whoa! Wait a minute, how did they find that out?"

"A teddy bear named Smokey. You sometimes pick your nose when you think people aren't looking, but they are. You have a feminine itch that's very embarrassing. It's _that_ time of the month for you, and-"

"Ok! Stop there, I need to speak with my supervisor and get that info gone or classified…"

"Oh supposedly it is classified, your firewall is weak though."

"It's a ten thousand codex firewall! The top of the line!"

"Only ten thousand?" Janet hears the voice say to the others," Heh, she says it's only ten thousand."

After hearing the chuckles on the other line she says," Ok that's enough. I'm going to sleep now, I will meet you people tomorrow."

"Sounds good!" said the voice as she hung up.

_Maybe_, she thought. _Maybe I should actually read my own database sometimes. I'm going to have a talk with some people. I mean really! If some hackers can easily break into our system and get that kind of information, who knows what else they could do? I just hope meeting these people isn't a mistake…_

----------------------------------------------

"Janet? You awake?" said Maxwell Christopher. "Hey, get you some more coffee already, you look dead."

"Mmm? Oh sorry Max. I didn't get enough sleep last night."

"You've been working way to hard lately. You sure you're up to the Crey investigation?"

"Yes, I am."

Maxwell knew she wanted the Nemesis case that he was assigned to, but she took the Crey case anyway.

"It's just that I got this weird call last night," she said while rubbing her head. "Some people want to meet up with me. They said they were attacked by Crey, and have some Nano-Tech problems. Sounds like the old Project Revenant case revived. But at the moment I'm seeing weird connections now between Crey and this missing persons case. Here let me show you something."

Janet pulls out a book from her desk and hands it to Max.

"That," she says. "Is the diary of Julianne Thompson. The missing lady in this case. Has a lot of idealistic work in there, very lofty at most. Well strange thing was, when we were sent to recover it, Crey was there. None of them would say why though. I talked to some heroes she worked with and tried to recruit for her causes, and they say the same thing about her. She had done hard time, so she was unable to gain any hero's trust."

Maxwell skims through the book and nods," She sounds like an activist. Like your typical,' let's go out and make the world a better place' kind of person."

"Ah," said Janet. "You may be right about that. She spent time in the slammer though. Apparently she got involved with a crooked politician, and ended up in jail along with him. Sad story really… After a time in jail she started getting more and more aspirations, but could never do it because of her reputational stigma. The last anyone saw of her was at a party in Blackpool, England. After that she was not heard from for a long while."

"Maybe she went into hiding? Maybe she was embarrassed at the party?" said Maxwell thoughtfully.

"No, because they _did_ in fact find her, but she was mutilated beyond recognition. She was found thanks to the efforts of the local heroes, and they eventually did identify her."

"I see. But you said this case wasn't wrapped up. You _found_ the woman, but what's the problem?"

"Forensics had a hard time identifying the body, because there was no dental records or anything on her. But they eventually found the body to be hers. Now I know you might think that this is a case-closed already, but I have my doubts."

"Such as?"

"Well first off was the presence of Crey. Next was when Julianne's mother was at the burial, she swears up and down that the woman displayed was not her daughter. Now don't look at me like that, I have a bad feeling about this. Something just doesn't seem right, and that's what I'd like to find out. And because of Crey's presence I can investigate them at the same time."

"Two birds with one stone, not bad."

"What makes it very suspicious is that Crey was at the exact location at the same time our recovery team was. They need to be questioned before this case can be officially closed."

"Just don't work yourself into the ground ok? What's your next step on this?"

"I managed to swipe this," she says as she pulls out a lock of hair from her drawer. "I asked the mortician to give me a small lock of hair before the burial as evidence. I'm thinking if anything I can get the help of a mystic hero. Maybe Cadao Kestrel-"

"You're thinking of using _him_?" said Maxwell disapprovingly. " Instead of good hard evidence you're turning to a witch doctor?"

"_Not_, a witch doctor," said Janet indignantly. "He's a voodoo master."

Maxwell rolled his eyes, and said," Yea, real big difference."

"Look, I know this isn't by the book, but I've already told you I have a bad feeling about this, and I don't know who else to turn to."

"Well I just hope you know what you're doing. I don't want you getting all worked up like the Adams Case."

Janet tucked the lock of hair safely in a briefcase and stood up.

"I won't," she said. "And I've got to go now to meet up with some folks."

She suddenly stopped in the doorway and looked back realizing something.

"Oh Max," she said. " We need to clear some files in our database profile…"

"Why's that?"

"Because I know about that, ah, rash on your thighs now."

Maxwell's jaw dropped and he turned away embarrassed.

"Yea," she said as she continued to walk out. "We've got a joker around here somewhere, so be careful."

----------------------------------------------

"Yo! Over here!" said Kayain as he waved down a vendor.

Cherry, Danyel, Kayain, and Regina went out to meet Janet Kellum at Founders Falls. Diana went to her new Supergroup's headquarters to speak with the leader Mystic Wizard. Tylar, and Ami stayed behind with the others to keep the place safe.

Kayain finished his order and walked over to the rest.

"Let's see," he said as he tossed something to Danyel. "Burger for you, Chicken Nuggets for you Gina, five hot dogs for me, and what did you say you wanted babe?"

"Ice Cream, Kayain, I told you that several times," said Cherry slightly annoyed.

"Oh… I _knew_ that, I was just testing if _you_ knew… you know, had to make sure."

"Just go already."

Cherry sits on a bench and says," Hope she shows up soon. This area is kind of bad. Those creepy mages are hanging out in the alleyways, and so are those military nuts."

"Yea who _are_ those people anyway?" said Regina.

"Don't look like the normal military here. As far as I know this isn't a police state, so the fact that they carry so many heavy weapons in public means they're some kind of nutcase militia group."

"This could be the reason I sensed so much residue magic in the area," said Danyel. "From what I hear, those mages are called the Circle of Thorns. They specialize in the dark arts, and in the worst way too."

"You mean like pacts with demons, sacrifices, and that sort of nonsense?" asked Cherry.

"Yes that kind of _nonsense_. Sis, this is some serious stuff. Making those kinds of pacts can-"

"I know, I know, summon Hell's wrath, and unspeakable horrors upon the world of the living."

"I really wish you wouldn't take it so lightly," he said, folding his arms.

"I don't. It's just all the same to me. They want to spread chaos and destruction everywhere, whether they summon, oh I don't know, Damien the destroyer or Lloyd the slightly perturbed."

"But magic's not that simple! You-"

"It is to me," she interrupted. "And I have no intention on learning about magic because, I can't use it. That's your responsibility."

"That's funny, cause people already call you a witch," said Kayain as he approached them.

"Ha, ha. Where's my ice cream?"

"Right here babe! One for me, and one for-"

Before he was able to finish his sentence, Danyel magically tripped Kayain, causing him to splatter the ice cream all over Cherry's chest.

Danyel looked away innocently as Kayain gets up quickly and says," Ah sorry! Don't move, I've got a napkin!"

Cherry tries wiping it off as Kayain clumsily grabs her breasts and smears the ice cream instead.

"KAYAIN!" she says smacking his arm away.

"SORRY!"

"Come at a bad time?" says someone from behind.

"Ah, Miss Kellum," says Danyel pleasantly. "Good to meet you! We are the Vigilantes."

Janet Kellum looks at the scene of Regina laying down on a bench laughing, Kayain trying to grab Cherry's chest, and Danyel smiling contently.

"Nice, ah, to meet you guys as well."

"Give me that!" said Cherry as she took the napkin from Kayain. "I'm terribly sorry about that Miss Kellum. We had a little accident, and Kayain can usually turn an accident into a disaster."

"I was _trying_ to help!" he said.

"We're the Vigilantes," she said ignoring him. "We got in contact with you the other night. We've attracted the attention of Crey Corp and we heard you were investigating the case."

"Something like that," she said taking a seat on a bench. "I've been assigned to investigate Crey Corp specifically. But I'm trying to finish up a case at the moment."

"Well whatever you have would be useful. We know nothing about them except for their methods of execution. Oh, and here, take this."

Cherry hands a small holograph device to Janet, and she stares in surprise.

"This technology, where did you get it?"

"We're offworlders. This is a mere child's toy in my civilization."

"Neat!"

"May I have your attention to this though," says Cherry as she points to the hologram. "This was the only thing we were able to safely extract from my comrades body. It's a component for a machine that's remotely operated from Crey Corp. This was the only one we dared remove lest the remote host receive warning of tampering kill my teammates."

Janet studied the diagram for a while and said," This is all very interesting. But I'm afraid this isn't solid evidence."

"What do you mean!" said Kayain, a little upset. "This is damn good evidence! Crey's killing my team and this can prove it!"

"You misunderstand me," said Janet calmly. "I mean this won't hold over in courts. You've definitely got my attention with this. And this is well worth investigating. You'll need something more solid, like finding the actual link between Crey and these devices. Besides that, there's little I can do about your teammates condition. But I will help you guys in any way I can."

"What can you provide us?" asked Cherry.

"All my information is on file back in the office. If you want we can go get it, but I need to finish up something that's been bothering me about my current case."

"What seems to be the problem?"

"I had a missing persons case, and we found a body that was identified as the lady we were looking for. But something seems wrong about it. Something doesn't add up, especially since we found a hint of Crey involved."

"In that case, something _is_ wrong. What are you going to do?"

Janet pulls out a lock of hair and says," This is part of the hair from the lady that was found. Forensics identified the body as the missing person Julianne Thompson. But her mother swears that the body she saw wasn't her daughter. So I'm taking this lock of hair to Cadao Kestrel, a voodoo master."

Danyel waves his hand dismissively and says," Hand it here, I will get the information for you."

"Are you a wizard?"

"It's the pointy hat isn't it? It's a dead giveaway. Name's Danyel. High Archmage of the Universal Arcane Society at your service."

"Well the title certainly sounds important. What can you do?"

"Just let me see that, and I will go to the astral plane and find the owner."

Janet shrugs and hands Danyel the lock of hair.

"Thank you… Now let's see, where did I put that… Ah! Here we go."

Danyel pulls out a strange band inscribed with runes. He takes off his hat and puts the band on. He sits cross-legged on the floor with his hat in his lap.

"What's that on his head?" asks Janet.

"That," says Cherry, amused. "Helps him connect to the astral realm at an incredible speed and do as he wishes with ease. It was given to him by an old witch, for saving her life. So he calls it his 'High Speed _Broad_-Band Connection'."

"Oh…" says Janet as she thinks for a moment about it. "OH! Ha, ha! I get it."

"Hur hur, _Broad_ band…" snickers Kayain.

After a couple of minutes Danyel comes out of the trance and stands up.

"Well," he said. "That was interesting. I talked to the receptionist and she was able to let me talk to a lady named Clarissa Can Dorn. She says the last thing she remembers was she was at a party and went to the ladies room to refresh her makeup. Suddenly a lady came up behind her, took her to the floor and strangled her to death. She remembers clearly though that the woman was in fact named Julianne Thompson. She remembers her because she had made a speech earlier that was laughed at by the people attending. Personally she didn't think much of her, but a murderess… well I guess anything's possible eh?"

Janet stared disbelieving for a moment. Things were starting to make sense now, and this was the key.

"Danyel," she said. "Are you absolutely sure it was Julianne Thompson who did this?"

"One hundred percent sure. I'm not a high Archmage because I pull rabbits out of my pointy hat you know."

"But… Clarissa Can Dorn was Countess Crey's maiden name."

"Whoa!" said Kayain who obviously had been thinking a bit too hard. "Now that _is_ weird! I mean think about it, how can she be dead _and_ controlling Crey at the same time? Unless… she's a ghost and is haunting the place! Oooh, scary."

Regina chuckled and Danyel slapped his hand to his forehead.

"Kayain," said Cherry. "Please stop thinking. You're giving me a headache."

"What this really means," said Janet. "Is that Julianne killed the real Clarissa Can Dorn and impersonated her… How devious. At the time, Clarissa was engaged to the Count Crey, so she took her place at the altar and married him. But in order to trick everyone, she must have used cosmetic surgery."

"That was my next guess, honest," said Kayain.

"This is serious business everyone. If we can find good solid evidence that will hold up in courts, we can take her down for murder. I want you guys to come back to the office with me, we should discuss more about this. Please, come with me."

They all followed Janet back to her car, and on the way Kayain said to Cherry," You believe me right? About that being my next guess?"

"Oh, Kayain. Of course I believe you," said Cherry like a psychiatrist does when they're slapping on the straight jacket.

----------------------------------------------

Diana walked the halls of the Mystic Warrior's underground base. She found that many supergroup bases were held underground, and because of that, the Mystic Warriors like many others, had put up a special recall unit that brings members to the base in it's hidden location.

Many of the areas were still expanding, and off limits. But overall she enjoyed the magical presence because it made her feel warm and tingly.

She wandered aimlessly for a while until she came into a small room with a heroine sitting cross-legged on the floor.

A sensible person would knock before entering, so Diana barged in right behind her and said," HI!"

The poor heroine was taken completely off guard and jumped up. She turned around quickly and said," Oh my! You scared the life out of me! I didn't hear you come in… Wait, how did you get past my magic barriers?"

"I, uh, I absorbed them actually. Sorry."

"You _what_! But how- OH! I know you know, I heard all about you. You're the new girl Diana, with the anti-magic abilities."

"That's me!" said Diana cheerfully.

"Indeed. My name is Mystica. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, where is the leader, Mystic Wizard?"

"At the moment he is in the training room. I wouldn't bother him if I were you. He's really serious when he trains you know."

"It's very important you know. I really do need to talk to him."

"Well the training room is down the hall and to the right. Just be careful when you enter. Please try and make yourself known before you enter."

"Gotcha, and sorry again."

"Don't worry about it, just don't make a habit of it."

Diana trotted down the hall and to the right where Mystica pointed out. When she approached the door, she heard the sound of thunder inside.

A sensible person would take that as a kind of warning not to enter when you hear thunder inside a room, so Diana barged in without knocking.

Mystic Wizard was standing in the center of the training area with 3 small dark clouds in front of him. Diana watched as a random cloud threw a bolt of lightning at him, and he deflected it with something on his wrist.

Shot after shot he deflected just as easily as the next until the thunderclouds evaporated. He took a deep breath and several plywood boards hovered toward him from all angles. When they were close enough, he began to break them with his hands and feet, one right after another.

A sensible person would not disturb someone who is in the middle of training with lightning bolts and lightning fists, so Diana trotted behind him and was immediately sideswiped by Mystic Wizard.

Mystic Wizard stopped and looked behind him where he had swung, unsure if he had accidentally hurt someone. What he saw astonished him; Diana standing there grinning with her hand up blocking his shot with only her forearm.

Still holding back Mystic Wizard's hand, she waves with her fingers and says," Hi! Sorry to bother you, but I needed to talk. It's pretty important."

Locked in that position he continues to look at her puzzled.

"Ah…" she said. "I believe I did say I'm sorry. And it _is_ very important."

"No, no." he said. "It is I who should be sorry. You caught me off guard… Quite impressive I must admit."

"This is really awkward," said Diana as Mystic Wizard still did not move.

Mystic Wizard looked at her with a very serious and calculating look as he said," My dear, do you study in martial arts?"

"Amazing accuracy! What gave it away?"

Judging from her tone, she was dead serious about the question. He withdrew his arm and said," I sense great power in you. Greater than you realize."

"Really?" she said as she sniffed her armpits. "You might be right, but I don't smell the power. It's probably the deodorant though."

"Ah-ha, and a sense of humor to match."

"Hua?"

"Never mind. Please, come with me."

Mystic Wizard strolled out of the training room and down the hall.

"Let me tell you a little about the Mystic Warriors my lady," he said as they walked side by side. "Long ago I was the leader of a tribe named the Tsao. We led a long and prosperous life, until disaster struck. My people were killed long ago, and I was the only survivor. Forgotten and forsaken, I traveled the world in search of a sanctuary. I heard that in America there was a place called Paragon City, where people with extraordinary powers were accepted like normal people. That was when I decided to come here. When I arrived, I found many new experiences and challenges. I had found some place to call home, and founded the Mystic Warriors. Here, I train students who are willing to learn the ways of the Tsao."

They both came to a room that resembled a living area, and he offered Diana a seat. He prepared some tea and offered some to Diana who gratefully accepted.

They slowly sipped on the tea as he continued," I offer a sanctuary to those gifted in the arcane, and offer resources to those who wish to learn more about it. So you will find many of my students, and many gifted individuals who come here seeking knowledge."

"That's great! Cause that's what I wanted to talk to you about!"

"How can I be of service my lady?"

"Well you see, my husband is a wizard as well, and he wanted to study the books you have, even though he's not a member of the Mystic Warriors."

Mystic Wizard rubbed his chin thoughtfully. And suddenly an idea came to mind. "Your husband you say? Members of family are always welcome in my home… however… Please come with me."

Mystic Wizard led her back down the hall to the training room entryway. He pointed to a sign on the wall that Diana had neglected to read.

"Did you see this before you came in?" he asked pleasantly.

"Err… no," she said sheepishly.

"And do you see this part?"

"Yes…"

"Novices are forbidden to enter the advanced training room. Should a novice enter the training room without permission, they will be subject to a duel by any advanced student, or even the dojo sensei, in order to prove their worth. If the novice should win, they will remain an advanced student. You see, I intend on enforcing this rule by challenging you to a duel. You must fight me or leave the Mystic Warriors."

"Oh… ah-ha, you know I don't normally ignore signs when I come into a room… Just a brain fart you know? Heh, no need for all this-"

"Are you refusing?"

"NO! No, no, no… But, uh, after I do this will you let my husband in to read your books?"

"Should you win, your husband is very welcome in my home at anytime. Now, prepare yourself."

"Yikes!" she said as he came at her and struck as fast as a cobra.

Just as he suspected, Diana was extremely adept in Martial Arts. She dodged his strikes with ease and a pleasant smile on her face. When he struck low, she would either back flip or jump completely over him. When he struck high, she would limbo duck under his shots, or back shuffle.

She fought defensively until she saw him finally starting to tire. That was when she started her assault. She began with a series of quick hits in the midsection, and then attempted to grapple.

He decided grappling was not a good idea with her, and dodged it.

He stepped back for a second, but she would not let up, and closed in right away. He held up his hand and said," STOP! That is all."

Diana in mid-swing froze in place, and playfully toppled over.

"My lady," he said. "Your technique, your style, and your moves are unlike anything I've encountered before. You have impressed me and are welcome in any training room you wish."

"Thanks! Maybe I should have mentioned before that I'm not from this world. My sensei is my father-in-law, and he knew a Matronian style called _Manas dul Argo._"

"I see now. An Offworlder?"

"Yea, I think I should explain the situation now."

----------------------------------------------

At the F.B.S.A. Headquarters, Cherry, Danyel, Kayain, and Regina sat in the office as Janet worked on the computer.

"There," said Janet. "I was able to hack into a Crey lab Mainframe… I'm not seeing much here, but I'll keep looking."

After a while Regina said," May I take a look?"

"Of course."

Regina reached inside her belt pocket and pulled out a device, and hooked it into the computer.

"Regina's a very good hacker," said Cherry.

"It's necessary for the work I do," she said.

Everyone sat patiently except for Kayain, who was bored out of his mind.

"I'm getting some coffee, does anyone want some?" asked Janet.

Everyone said they wanted some, and Kayain said," I'll go with you. My ass is falling asleep just sitting here."

As they walked the halls, Janet finally got a very good look at Kayain and said," Your outfit looks very familiar."

"Did you ever read the Vigilante's comic series?"

"I sure did."

"I wrote em. Based on a true story…. Well some parts."

"Really? Wow. I hate to admit it, but I'm a big comic fan, and a superhero fan. It's the main reason I joined F.B.S.A… well my old reason was to meet some cute superpowered guy, that was back when I was younger though. "

Kayain stopped walking for a moment and said," Oh yea? You know a hero named Proto-Man?"

"Should I?"

Kayain continued to walk and said," Wouldn't be a good idea. Anyway, you were saying?"

"I joined for the wrong reasons, but I ended up liking my job more than I would have expected."

"But overall you really did get to meet, and find out all kinds of things with super powered people right?"

"Oh yes, all the time," she said as they entered the break room.

"Good, good…" he said scratching his head a bit.

Janet put a pot on the brew, slightly annoyed that the last person who drank hadn't done that already. She looked at Kayain and said," You look like you want to say something."

"Yea, I kinda do. You see, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately," he said.

And if memory serves our readers correctly, that isn't a good thing.

"You see," he continued. "There was something I want to ask about super heroes but didn't know anyone who would give me an honest answer. The question I have has great scientific value, and for some reason when I say stuff like that, my genius brother laughs. For the records, he's also a flaming homosexual."

"Ok," she said with her arms folded. "I don't know how much help I can be, but I will certainly share my knowledge of super heroes with you."

"You might want to write this down, in case you figure it out and win some kind of prize for it."

"I'll remember it, thanks."

Kayain cleared his throat and said," Well it's like this… You ever notice how all the really super powered babes have really big moo-moos?"

Janet laughed out loud and said," Moo-moos?"

"Yea, really big cans. What's so funny? I'm serious here!"

"It's just… I never thought of that… This is amusing, continue your observation."

"Well think about it… have you ever seen an overweight heroine? Didn't think so. Obviously their powers have something to do with why they all look like supermodels with big ol' hooters… I think its got something to do with metabolism… but the real question is why don't their boobies shrink to the size of a lesbian tennis player? I mean come on, when was the last time you ever heard that when a woman works out and burns fat, her headlights get better equipped?"

"I heh, heh, I can't think about that right now…"

"At first I thought 'Maybe all their power is stored inside their knockers', but wouldn't that also mean that if they use their powers their hooters would deflate like a blown up condom?"

Janet begins to pour the coffee into cups as she says," This is the kind of stuff you think about on your spare time?"

"Hell yea! I mean unless you wanna think that this is all like the comics where women's bodies wouldn't match reality. And that this world is all in the imagination of a bunch of drooling, middle aged men who've obviously never seen a real woman before."

She puts the creamer and sugar in as she says," Humm, everything looks real, and smells real. Must be real."

"Yea, I know! This isn't the comics, so the mystery deepens."

She looks at the thoughtful expression on his face and says," You're really serious aren't you?"

"Oh, Yes Indeed I am!"

"Is this some kind of problem?"

"Hell no! You see, and this is the scientific part, if the majority of highly powered women have this, then perhaps it has something to do with genetics, and how the body reacts to super powers."

"Where are you going with this?"

"If we could find out why it happens… just imagine the possibilities! We could create the worlds first true breast enhancer pill! All that shit on the Internet doesn't work, but this will."

"Uh, hua… and you think this will work somehow?" she said skeptically.

"Why shouldn't it? If we did find it, then imagine how successful we'd be!" he said as he suddenly thought of something else. "We could call it, get this now, we could call it,' The cure for the common breast'."

Janet finally stopped holding back and laughed. When she stopped she said," Kayain… I don't know if things work like that."

"You know something, you're absolutely right," he said. "Janet, I think I'm gonna need real researchers, maybe a charity. Would you like to contribute money to the 'Cure for the common Breast' fund? You'd be helping out the less fortunate women who have to suffer through their life with embarrassingly small breasts, like Cherry."

Back in Janet's office, Cherry suddenly looked up and sneered.

"What's wrong sis?" asked Regina.

"Kayain senses…tingling… I don't know why, but I feel like giving him a beating he so richly deserves."

Janet and Kayain strolled back down to the office and she said," So you're really going to research this?"

"Yup."

"I mean no joke, actually investigate if super powers cause women to become more… well endowed?"

"You betcha."

"Will I get a tax write off if I donate?"

"We're nonprofit… well I suppose if you don't count all of us who get to see a richer world with bigger jugs every day as profit."

"You're really dedicated… How about ten dollars to start you?"

"Fan-freaking-tastic. That's ten dollars we'll never get anywhere else. Man, first day and I'm already moving up!"

As they walked into the room again, Janet said," Good, I expect to be the first to get a working sample then?"

"Oh you bet!" he said as Cherry looked at Kayain discontentedly. He whispered," She will most definitely be next on that list."

Regina didn't take her eyes away from the screen as she took a few sips of the coffee.

"Guys," she said. "Take a look at this e-mail I found."

The email read:

_To: Security Chief Whitney_

_From: Security Chief Alvarez_

'_I do not take Howard Quigley's threats lightly, and neither does the great lady we both serve. If he is bent on causing trouble, Quigley has the knowledge to disrupt the CreyComp launch. To forestall this possibility, please send a team to take him to our new re-education facility. Once he is loyal to Crey, we will have no more to fear.'_

"CreyComp," said Janet thoughtfully. "I heard that they were releasing their own OS. I've never heard of Howard Quigley, but by the sound of it, he's about to be in some serious trouble."

"This e-mail was recent," said Regina. "Maybe we can save Mister Quigley before they get to him. I don't like the sound of this 're-education' facility."

"Can you find where he is?" asked Cherry.

"If they know, then I can find out… Let's see. He's currently working at Gaffnet Consulting."

"I know where that is," said Janet. "I'll take you guys there."

"He's a consultant?" asked Kayain. "Isn't that like saving the bad guy?"

"How would that be like saving a bad guy?" asked Danyel.

"People pay him wads of cash no matter what kind of advice he gives. Good or bad, he still makes out like a bandit."

Danyel thinks about it for a moment and says," This is true. But hey, don't you have your own consulting business? I believe I saw yours, and Biggs', services being offered on your website. You offered career advice didn't you?"

"Ah… Whoa hey, we gotta go now."

----------------------------------------------

"This is a grave situation my lady," said Mystic Wizard. "I will gladly offer my library to your husband if he thinks he can come up with a solution."

"I'm glad we have an understanding," said Diana cheerfully.

"Indeed. I fought in the Rikti war and lost many good friends. I don't intend on doing that again, let alone sit by while it happens again. For all of our sakes, I hope we can find the solution for this puzzle. And if you need any help please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you," she said as Mystika entered the room. "Oh hi again!"

"Hello," said Mystika. "Diana I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"That's no good…"

"Indeed. I just received word that there is a gang of highly dangerous super powered villains on the loose."

"Supervillains? Oh no! That's bad! But we have Superheroes to take them on right?"

"I'm afraid that doesn't cover it all. You see these Villains were described as well. Two were identified with the names Kayain and Diana."

"What!"

"Kayain was described as around, 6'4, muscular built, blonde, spiky hair, tan skin, and gray eyes. Diana, well of course, tall, around 6'1, dark brown bobbed hair, medium build, Caucasian, and blue eyes."

"That's crazy!"

"Yes, they said they form a group called the Vigilantes. Anyone associated with this group is to contact authorities immediately or get help from the local heroes."

Diana shook her head and slumped into a chair as she said," This is sooo weird. I mean what a coincidence that these villains have the same names and looks as my group does. Talk about your crazy cosmic coincidences eh?"

Mystika looked at Mystic Wizard, who simply shrugged.

"Diana," she said as simply as possible. "What I'm trying to say is someone put it in that _you_ are the villain! You and your entire team."

"Ooooh… But what about those other guys pretending to be us? I'm sure they framed us."

Mystika threw her hands in the air and said," There is no one else! It's just you!"

"Peace, Mystika," said Mystic Wizard. "Diana, can you think of any reason this might have happened?"

"No! I mean we helped out big time with the Winter Lords, and we helped kick behind in the Rikti Crash zone… Picking off gangsters in the streets… Beaten the tar out of a bunch of Crey thugs-"

"Crey?" asked Mystika.

"Yea Crey. Master Wizard here knows about it."

"Indeed," he said. "I think it's no coincidence that Crey fails at bullying by force, and I believe they are trying to bully legally now. When it comes to Crey, they do not forgive, and they do not forget. I have dealt with them before, and know they are horrible people."

"I know," said Diana remembering how they tried killing her brother just for defending Ami. "So they got us on Paragon's most wanted as Supervillains eh? I think I need to let my team know about this."

"Let's hope they aren't on the streets right now," said Mystic Wizard.

----------------------------------------------

"It is _not_ ridiculous!" said Kayain. "The Cure for the Common Breast is a legitimate business I just made up, and we're going to find that cure no matter what!"

"Kayain," said Cherry as she shook her head. "You don't know the first thing about research, let alone something as loony as that."

"I could learn! Come on, you're always bringing me down, why not a little encouragement for this?"

"Because it's silly! There is no big boob super heroine gene!"

"Ah but it really doesn't make sense any other way now does it? I mean why is it superheroines are always hotties with huge boobs?"

"I don't know! They're not related most of the time so why would it be genetic?"

"I intend on finding out!"

Janet whispered to Regina," Are those two always like this?"

"It gives them satisfaction," she said with a slight smile.

"That's weird."

"You'd have to know their history, it's esoteric," she said as she suddenly frowned.

Regina quickly turned invisible as Cherry said," What is it?"

"Danger. I can feel it."

The door to the elevator opened and they found that F.S.B.A. agents surrounded them, each with their weapons drawn.

"Freeze! Don't move!" said one of them. "Put your hands on your head, and step slowly out of the elevator!"

Quick as lightning, Kayain grabbed Janet around the neck and said," Hold your fire! I've got a hostage! I'll snap her neck if any of you fire!"

Taken completely by surprise, she says quietly," _What_ are you doing?"

He whispers," Play along. I won't harm you, I give my word."

Janet nods as Cherry says," You'd better do what he says, this man's a regenerator, and if you shoot him he won't die."

They seemed to consider this as the same man says," Easy now, we don't want her to get hurt, but you are clearly surrounded, with no chance of escape."

"Clearly," said Danyel. " You people don't know what it means to mess with an Archmage."

Danyel's eyes begin to glow as a thick lair of smoke begins to rise from the floor. The officers began to cough and scatter as the smoke clouded the room. Cherry took the opportunity to press the elevator button to go back up.

Kayain let go of Janet and said," What the hell was that about!"

"I don't know!" said Janet. "What did you do?"

"And so it begins," said Cherry as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. "It's Crey. They got our message, and this is how they respond. I wouldn't doubt if we're on the most wanted list at the moment."

"That couldn't have happened already," said Janet. "I just got an updated list this morning of the most wanted, and you guys weren't on it."

"It was probably just barely getting through," said Cherry. "Someone here must have reported us."

"Damn them!" said Kayain as he punched the wall. "Those lying, filthy weasels! And where's Regina?"

"She went into the smoke," said Danyel. "She'll be our eyes of the activities down below."

Regina's, and Cherry's communicator was specially built so it uses their psionic abilities to talk and listen, with thoughts through the mic to keep silent.

Janet pushes a button to stop the elevator on the top floor, and they all rush to the rooftop.

A message from the communicator came out," Hey everyone! It's me, Diana! Hey, I just got word that somehow we've become wanted criminals!"

Cherry said," Yes Di, we found that out just a while ago ourselves."

"Oh you did?" she said sounding a little disappointed. "This stinks don't it?"

"You have no idea."

"Well anyway, stay safe, cause we're wanted now. Oh and another thing, be on the lookout for some imposters that look like us. I'm out."

The team heard the sound of some lady in the background saying,' Aye-yi-yie!'

"Did everyone hear that?" Cherry broadcasted to the entire team.

"Yes, I was aware of that as well." Said Tylar.

"That's awful!" said Ami.

"Roger that," said Regina.

"At least it's nice to be popular," said Kat.

"That sucks! I must meditate on this," said Solo.

"We all copy that up here," said Valentine. "And when you get time, we need to talk about something important sis…"

"How important?" asked Cherry.

"About 300 Matronian battleships worth of importance."

"What!" said Cherry as she looked pale suddenly. "Battleships? Here? We've got a situation down here! This is _not_ what we need… Vi, can you handle that for a while?"

"Yea sure," said Valentine. "Maybe I'll ask them over for a cup of tea…"

"Vi…"

"I'll handle it sis, don't worry. I'll talk to you after a while."

Cherry sighs and says," It's just one thing after another. Someone should really be writing my life down."

Kayain grins broadly as Cherry says," Except you."

They look down and see more people entering the building.

"Danyel," said Cherry. "We need to buy more time, disable the elevator. Kayain, help me jam the door."

Danyel approached the elevator and the doors opened for him, exposing the wiring. He rubbed his chin a moment and decided to freeze all the gears on top. The machine groaned as all the components froze up completely.

Cherry and Kayain went to the service staircase to jam it. Kayain knocked off the handles, and Cherry psionically locked it and placed a barrier on it.

"Good, we have a bit of time now," said Cherry. "Vi, come in. What's going on up there?"

"We counted approximately 800 Matronian Battleships headed this way," said Valentine. "I'm going to try and establish contact with whoever's in charge. They are probably in pursuit of the rikti like we were."

"A fleet that big will cause worldwide panic here. Tell them of our situation, and what needs to be done. If at all possible, tell them to stay out of it because we'll handle it. No charge."

"Roger that sis… You guys will be ok out there by yourselves?"

"We've handled worse. Please handle this situation."

"All right, but if anything happens while I'm away-"

"We'll be out of communication range. Don't worry so much about us," said Cherry as they heard blasting noises on her psi barrier. "Please don't make me worry any more than I am now. Cherry out."

"Everyone have your jump suits on?" said Cherry as she looked toward the rest of them. They nod as she looks toward Janet and says," Sorry you had to get involved. We'll get to the bottom of this."

"Are you going to leave me here?" she asks. "Let me help you out. If this is Crey influence, I need to work this out as well."

Cherry shakes her head and says," No, we need your help from over here. Here, take this communicator and keep in touch. I don't to ruin your reputation for this case. We're only visiting this city, so we don't mind."

"Yea," says Kayain. "We've been run out, banished, and chased by an angry mob out of _millions_ of cities. One more isn't going to hurt our feelings."

"Indeed," says Danyel. "We have a way with people. Not a way that people like, mind you."

"All right. I'll help you however I can here. Just be careful. You're wanted criminals on the streets. So avoid contact with police as much as possible… Oh and heroes as well. They may try and stop you-"

"HALT VILLAIN!" said someone from behind.

Everyone turns around in time to see Lady Anubis and Gungir teleport behind them. They take a few steps and then stop abruptly.

Lady Anubis says," You? They told us there was a group of dangerous supervillains up here."

"We were on our way to Brickstown when we saw the commotion outside. The police said there was supervillains up here with a hostage," said Gungir, not lowering his weapon.

"Sometimes," said Kayain as he stretched his arms behind his head. "In the morning Cherry gets as mean as a supervillain. And I definitely feel like a hostage. Does that count?"

Cherry elbows him in the stomach and says," We're not villains, we've been set up by Crey Corp. We've got something of theirs and they want it back. Please, we mean no harm."

Gungir glances over to Lady Anubis who shrugs and says," What is it you possess that would make Crey Corporation do this to you?"

"Our friends ingested a Crey developed nano-robot that can kill the host if they so desire."

"It's true," said Janet. "I've seen it."

"Who are you?" asked Lady Anubis.

Janet shows her badge and says," Janet Kellum. F.B.S.A. Investigator. I've found evidence that they are telling the truth. These people are being set up."

"I will be the judge of that," said Lady Anubis as she frowned and stared at Kayain.

He was beginning to see a pattern whenever he met serious minded women. Somehow and some way he could make them all frown just by looking at them. Lady Anubis stared unblinking into his eyes.

And into his soul.

At this point, Kayain knew how to react. Cherry did the exact same thing when she wanted answers. Years of experience taught him only to stare back like an idiot.

"All right," said Lady Anubis finally looking away. "I believe you."

"Humm," said Gungir as he put his sword away. "If Lady Anubis believes you, than so do I."

"Thank you," said Cherry. "We need to hurry to Gaffnet Consulting right away. Crey is going to kidnap someone, and we need to get there before they do."

Kayain, and Cherry activate the Jump Suits and make their escape.

"A consulting firm?" asks Lady Anubis as she looks at Danyel. "Isn't the same as saving the bad guys?"

----------------------------------------------

Regina listened in to the conversation of the Captain outside the building.

"What's taking those heroes so long?" asked the Captain. "Were they defeated?"

"We don't know sir," said an officer. "We just received word that there was no one on the roof but Janet Kellum. She is being questioned at the moment sir."

"All right. Get the rest of the men and search the entire building. And have someone turn off the fire alarm. That smoke inside the buildings set off the sprinkler system."

Regina had an idea and went to a driver of a S.W.A.T. Vehicle. He was behind it lighting up a cigarette, trying not to be seen by his superiors. Regina dropped him with a stun gun, and threw him into the vehicle. She took his uniform, radio, and keys.

Now dressed in S.W.A.T. attire, she approached the chief and said," Captain, sir! Important call for you! I think it's the fugitives."

"Where?" he said.

"It's on our phone, Dispatch is putting us through," she said as she led him and the officer to the van.

The Captain gets in the back where the equipment is and gets on the phone.

"This is Captain Terrance. Hello?"

Regina gathers energy in her fist and rams the back of his head with it, dazing him.

The officer reacts quickly, drawing his weapon, but Regina was already ready, and kicks the gun out of his hands. She uses the remaining energy in her hands to give him a push right out the door.

She slams it shut and rushes to the driver's seat. She locks the door and then goes to grab the Captain. She throws the Captain into the passengers side seat, straps the seat belt on and melts the buckle into the apparatus with her energy.

The officer who was thrust out gets up, dazed a bit, and rushes over to the driver side door and starts banging on the handle.

"Open up! In the name of the law!" he yells.

Regina, looks over to him and smiles as she says," Oh, you're cute. Damn it. I've no time for chatting. Sometimes crime doesn't pay."

She starts the engine, blows him a kiss, and takes off.

The cops begin the chase as soon as she hits the streets. She swerves avoiding traffic, not really knowing where she's going, but trying to prevent accidents as much as possible.

The Captain begins to wake up and Regina says," About time. I thought you were tougher than that. I just gave you a little love tap."

"What…" he said, still dazed. "Wha- Who… Where? What's going on?"

"Sorry Cap'n Crunch. I had to take you with me."

"You! Who are you?"

"Just call me Gina."

"And why can't I move?"

"Your seatbelt locks when I drive like this. Sorry."

"What do you want?"

"Just a few minutes of your time is all."

The Captain's negotiating instinct kicked in at this point and said," Seeing as how I'm being kidnapped I have no choice now do I?"

Regina smiled as she swerved hard left and onto a freeway, the cops still hot in pursuit.

"You're after me and my team," she said. "Why?"

"Your names were on our most wanted lists. You're being charged with theft, assault, sodomy, and public indecency, and now resisting arrest and assault on an officer."

"That's quite an impressive force you have there to take down little ol' me."

"You're super powered individuals. We know better."

"Flattering," she said exiting the freeway. "Next question. Who filed these charges?"

"You should know already, you assaulted them."

"Just answer the question."

"The charges were from the Countess Crey herself. She intends on defending her people herself. They reported that you have something of theirs that you refused to give back. When they asked for it, you assaulted their representative, and his associates. Then you humiliated them in public. I think those are good enough charges to bring you in."

"No doubt," said Regina calmly. "You can say this to your friends at headquarters: We don't deny we did it, but we had our reasons. The truth is we were trying to stop an evil plot of theirs, and they're holding our friends hostage."

"All right," he says, trying to unbuckle his seatbelt, but finds it welded shut. "I'll keep that in mind. What are you planning on doing now?"

"Personally I plan to escape after I'm done here. I mean they're not going to shoot the vehicle or make it crash cause you're here. I'll let you go when I'm done, promise."

"I think you're underestimating the problem here-"

"So are you. Next question, do _you_ personally trust Crey?"

The Captain hesitated before he said," No. But I don't trust you as well. But my orders are absolute. Perhaps we can work something out?"

"Afraid not Captain. We're doing this our way. And we don't intend to get involved in court, or in any legal system in any way. We're only visiting after all."

"You can't escape the law."

"I believe we can. That's why we're still alive today. But I guarantee you Captain, we will bring you evidence to prove how rotten Crey is, and what we've been doing to prevent it."

"That may be, but even _if_ Crey has been plotting evil, you've still kidnapped me, and assaulted an officer."

"Oh don't be so winy, I didn't hit you _that_ hard. And besides, how often do you get to say you were swept off your feet by a beautiful, perky, red-head?"

"My wife's a red-head."

"Figures. Well we're definitely guilty of some things, but we're small timers compared to what Crey is cooking up."

"You keep mentioning a Crey plot. I want to talk about what you know about Crey."

"All right. But first, what do you know about them?"

Again he hesitates before he says," A very bad experience. They're untouchable, and I doubt I can do anything about it either. That's besides the point at the moment."

"Well Crey has a hold on us as well. They're using nano-technology to manipulate my teammates," she said as she enters a different highway. "They have the ability to kill my teammates at any time. The only reason they haven't is because my friends have valuable research data on them that they need alive."

"Do you have evidence?"

"Captain I swear, even if I have to break into the police department and hand deliver it, I will bring you evidence… Heh, that did not come out as good as I hoped."

He nods and says," I'm going to hold you to that. You realize though that I'm still going to have to hunt you down?"

"Ah yes. You men, always fired up by the thrill of the hunt. Oh, and speaking of that, one last request…"

"What is it?"

"I know it's a long-shot but… Can I get the phone number of that handsome officer you were with?"

"He's married."

She sighs and says," Story of my life. Oh well, this is your stop…"

Regina slams on the brakes and makes the vehicle spin while slowing speed. She turns invisible and opens the door waiting for it to slow down. She shifts to park and runs out as fast as she can.

Just in time, she avoids twenty armed officers running up to the vehicle with their weapons drawn.

"She's a super. She can turn invisible," said the Captain. "Get the thermal goggles and find her."

----------------------------------------------

Cherry checked a map on her holographic PDA for Gaffnet Consulting.

"Thanks again for coming along," said Danyel to Lady Anubis and Gungir.

"We're heroes," said Gungir. "We've always got to help those in need."

"Yea, and besides," said Kayain. "As a prestigious, Gold Member of the Kayain Fan Club, you're not allowed to attack me. It says so in the rule book."

"Oh yea… About that, I've been meaning to say-"

"Prestigious? What is this, 'fan club' of which you speak?" asks Lady Anubis. "And how did you get so much prestige and rank that I did not?"

"It's not that complicated Lady Anubis. He inducted me into his inner circle of friends, with something called a gold membership. Something about bonuses, discounts, and other silly stuff."

"It's not that simple man!" says Kayain. "It's a very top notch group that only the most important people are in! I have a huge list of names of all these people with high status… and a god apparently."

Lady Anubis thought about this for a moment. She looked toward Gungir and said," It must be very important if an anthropomorphic weapon such as yourself is in it. And it's run by the Vindicator himself. Am I in this so-called Fan club? Because if it's only for very important people then I must already be in it."

"Well no, you're not in it."

"I see. Gungir, did it not occur to you that I might want to be a part of this inner circle? Did it also not occur to you that this is a 'Fan Club,' and we should probably analyze the meaning of these words? The fan is an old symbol of royalty and nobility in most monarch societies. And a club is a mere blunt object used for bashing people's head in. And if we look at the history, the Chinese used specially made fans as weapons. Did the meaning of the word 'fan club' escape the depths of your mind so you would not understand the true meaning is in reality a high and mighty society of leaders?"

"What!" said Gungir as he tried to gather everything Lady Anubis had said. "That's not what it is at all! When I met him he just asked to make me a member of his own group of friends. It's nothing more than that."

"You offered him a membership, and not me?" asked Lady Anubis. "Why not?"

Kayain, seeing where this was going, smirked and said," I had only one space at the time, and he _insisted_ that it be him. He really didn't mention you at all."

She frowned at Gungir and said," Oh so now I'm not important enough to be mentioned?"

"No! I didn't say anything like that!"

"Obviously."

"I mean it was very much on the spot, and I didn't have much of a choice."

Kayain whispers very loudly to Lady Anubis," You see what I have to put up with? It's hard to be me."

She shakes her head disapprovingly at Gungir and says," Then what you _should_ have done was send him to me."

She looks toward Kayain," Unlike him I would have been honored to join a mighty and prestigious group with the Vindicator."

"Yea," said Kayain. "What she said."

"Now, it just looks like you have a higher status than me with your golden membership card."

"I'm not getting through am I?" said Gungir, giving up.

"That's the thing about human bodies," said Danyel casually. "It's like a mold. If you fill in the mold you take the likeness in every way. Doesn't matter who you were before it, you're now subject to all the functions, hormones, and emotions of one."

Gungir hesitated a bit and whispered to him," I probably shouldn't say this, but Lady Anubis is experiencing one of those times in females… something about the maternal cycle…"

"PMS?"

"I think that's it."

"Sucks to be you."

"I heard that!" says Lady Anubis. "And now I _demand _entry to your fan club or I unleash the fury of a thousand hells upon you all!"

"Well, look at that," says Kayain looking at his own PDA. "We've got another opening, would you like that one?"

"Yes!" says Lady Anubis as she raises her fists in the air. "When do I get my high and mighty ranks that I deserve?"

"Whoa there slugger, hold on," said Kayain. "You at least need three thousand points for that."

"How do I obtain these three thousand points?"

"Well," he said with a huge grin. "It usually takes a couple of purchases of gear, but for you, I can _give_ you the gear and count it to your points. Only because it's you."

"Ah, a wise decision. How many points until I receive the rank of divine leader of all that is?"

"Oh, like ten thousand points or so."

"Excellent…"

"Yea," said Kayain. "I'll get you a start up package after all this, if little miss-direction over there can ever find this place we're looking for."

"And since this is a Fan club, when do I receive my fan? And what kind of fan will it be? A Chinese war fan, or the ones used for Royalty? Personally, I would prefer the war fan."

After hearing all of the goings on, Cherry refused to participate in the conversation in any way.

Danyel leans against the wall next to her and says," Kayain just recruited two, count em', _two_ god beings into his little fan club today. That means two deities buying his product, and in such is like a form of idol worship to him. It's funny when you put things in perspective like that."

Cherry glances at him with a look that says,' I don't care.'

"Yup," he continues. "So what did _you_ do today?"

----------------------------------------------

Howard Quigley saved his document he was typing and turned off his computer.

_Nothing quite like unpaid overtime_, he thought. _Not to mention the small and hopeless chance for promotion. I love my work._

He packed up his things and realized he was the only one left in the office.

_Well me and the security guard at least,_ he thought.

Gaffnet Consulting was only open till 6, and most of the workers had more important things to concern themselves with rather than deadlines. Quigley could at least say he was a hard worker.

Unfortunately Quigley still retained the illusion that this would help him get a promotion in the corporate world.

He walked toward the elevator when suddenly the power went out. He stood and waited for the auxiliary power to turn on. When it did, he continued toward the elevator, but thought better of it during a power outage.

Instead he grumbled a bit and went to the stairs. Once inside he heard voices, and the sound of people running up the stairs. He looked down, a bit surprised that so many people had been working this late. He saw many uniformed Crey security guards rushing up the stairs armed with guns.

Panicking he ran back upstairs and into his office where he called security.

"Hello?" someone answered.

"Is this security?"

"Yes it is, how can I help you?"

"Thank God… This is Howard Quigley on the 20th floor. I need help! There's a bunch of armed men who came in through the fire escape! You need to call the police-"

"The 20th floor you say Mister Quigley? That will make things easier."

"What! Who is this?"

"Your employer."

"Then DO SOMETHING! They're coming this way."

"Humm. Then I recommend waiting there politely."

"They're going to find me!"

"Well that's the point. But call me if anything changes, he he."

"Dear God…" he said, hanging up.

He attempted dialing an outside line, but instead found only static on the other line.

_Damn,_ he thought. _What a day to forget my cell phone in the car… Wait! Maybe I can signal help through the Internet!_

Quigley turned back on his old and out of date computer when he heard banging on the emergency door.

_Come on you piece of trash computer! Load faster! NO I DO NOT WANT TO ENTER SAFE MODE, NOW LOAD UP!_

He looked over his shoulder to see if they had broken in, and looked back down to see another error that always pops up at the startup of his computer. Apparently someone installed a crummy anti-virus software in his computer that the makers of his OS made. When he uninstalled it for a superior program it caused many errors, lock ups, an incomplete uninstallation, and an impeding error message that he can't seem to get rid of during startup.

_Curse you Microsoft! If these men kill me I'm coming back to haunt you all!_

Too late, the men had already broken in when the desktop had finally loaded up. Canceling the 'critical updates' that always pops up no matter what, he clicks to find the Internet connection has been severed.

"Quigley! Come out!" he hears one of them say. "We need to talk Quigley."

Howard creeps out as quietly as he can, hoping they wouldn't walk his direction. He creeps toward the other elevators, having no other choice of escaping. He cowers a bit as he calls for the elevator, hoping they wouldn't hear it until he safely gets inside.

The elevator dings signaling it's arrival, and as it opens, a hand is thrust out and grabs him by the throat. The person inside the elevator lifts him up by the neck and tosses him into a cubicle.

Howard coughs and gags as he tries to get up, and receives a boot in his stomach for trying.

"Well, well Mister Quigley," said someone in a business suit from behind. "I have to say, I love your new job. Unfortunately, consulting is old evil. Efficient, but old."

"Who… Are… You…" he said gasping for air.

"Your employers from Crey."

"I don't… I don't work… for you anymore… leave me alone!"

"Apparently you didn't read your contract very well did you? Employees are not allowed to take Crey learned knowledge or skill with them to outside employment."

"What? There's… no way you could… do that…"

The man leans down and says," Now that's where you're wrong Mister Quigley. I believe you are familiar with our re-education facility, yes?"

Howard was indeed familiar. He had heard stories of people going in, and coming out different. Never the same as they used to be, but only obsessed with Crey.

"No! You can't do this to me!"

"You're forgetting who you work for Mister Quigley. We _own _you! We own this whole stinking city! Now are you going to come like a good underling or do we have to _make_ you come?"

Right then, they heard the elevator begin to come back up. The agents drew their weapons and looked toward the elevator as it beeped signaling it was going to open. When they looked inside, they saw their own agents, beaten, bruised, and thrown across the floor.

"What the," said the suit.

Suddenly they began to feel clammy, then cold. One of them looked up and saw a thick cloud forming right above them.

"Quigley!" said the suit as he picked him up by his collar. "What the hell are you doing?"

Quigley said nothing. He stared in horror as the cloud began to take form as a thick black cloud with lighting flashing inside it.

The suit let him go and slowly backed away from the cloud, as the rest of the agents slowly backed away. Quigley turned his head to the side and saw a reflection of someone out the window.

When the cloud fully formed, a steamy mist began to surround the area. The cloud rumbled with the sound of thunder, as the suit yelled," It's the capes! Everyone, get em-"

He was cut off by a bolt of lightning that struck him in the back, sending him flying into the mist. The thundercloud rumbled again and prepared for another strike as the rest of the goons ran toward the mist.

Quigley huddled into the corner next to the elevator, and heard yelling and gunfire coming from inside the mist. A Paragon Protector came flying out of the mist and was hit in the back with a thunderbolt. Several times, he saw a few guys flying up toward the ceiling, smashing their heads on top, then falling back down.

After a few seconds the sounds were over, and the mist began to clear. A very tall woman stepped into view, holding two suits, one in each hand. She tossed them both to the side and said," Fear not mortal, we've come to help."

"Who are you?"

"Someone who has very clearly saved your life. Now get up."

Another woman stepped out of the clearing mist. This woman was substantially shorter than the first one.

The woman said," Howard Quigley?"

"Yes… are you guys heroes?"

"Sort of," she said. "My name's Cherry, and this is my team, the Vigilantes."

"Well I'm not," started Gungir.

"Hush!" said Lady Anubis. "You're part of the club now!"

"We heard that Crey was after you, and we came to find out why."

"Well thanks for the help," said Quigley. "I admit that I once worked for them. As a matter of fact, I was the lead developer of their new OS CreyComp. And let me tell you, we put together a pretty sweet machine."

"Never heard of CreyComp," said Cherry.

"Well it hasn't been released yet because I quit the developing team."

"I see. You carry many of their secrets and they don't like that."

"Yea. However we had many management foul ups. I needed specific vendors in order to get specific codes for it, and our own internal monkeys went behind my back and complained. Then my manager forced me to use them, and my vendors were pissed because we broke a contract. While our monkeys produced big piles of stinking, steaming, crap. I really don't know why, but when I looked at the code they were making, it all seemed so very wrong, as if they were doing it on purpose. I took the code to my favorite contractor, Justine Kelley… The results were surprising to say the least."

"What was in the code?"

"Embedded in the code was a subliminal message interface. They were trying to use hypnosis to get things they wanted, like Tax breaks for big businesses, buy their products, and above all, be loyal to Crey."

Cherry put her hands on her hips and said," Humm. It seems we're both in the same boat Mr. Quigley. Crey's got a hold on us as well. Perhaps we can help each other out? Do you still have a copy of the code somewhere?"

"Yes, I do," he said. "It's at my house though."

"Good. No doubt we'll expect company there, so everyone be on guard."

----------------------------------------------

"Yes, yes, of course I can write virus for you. What kind?" asked Tylar.

"It doesn't matter," said Cherry over the communicator. "We'll show you the code, and you make the virus that destroys it."

"What kind of destroy? Smash and grab kind, or smoldering crater, destroy?"

"Keep in mind these people tried to harm Ami."

Tylar frowned and said," Smoldering crater it is!"

"There's a good boy," said Cherry. "We'll be getting back soon. Have you got your own defenses set up?"

"I do indeed. I set up a temporary password at the door, but I'll set it to our usual password before you get here."

"Good. We'll be arriving home shortly. I'm bringing along a few guests as well. One of them might have to stay with us until this whole thing calms down."

"All right, I'll see you when you get here."

Tylar went back to his computer and began to prepare for writing a virus code. As he typed away, Ami came into the room with two cups of coffee and put one down next to him.

"It seems wherever we go, trouble follows," said Ami as she took a drink. "It's always been like this ever since I started with your father."

"Some things never change," said Tylar not looking up. "But we chose this lifestyle because we thrive in a chaotic environment. And personally, I like the freedom I have with Cherry that the old cronies in WMD University, would never let me have."

"Yes, but didn't you leave for other reasons?"

"Ethics," he said pausing to think for a second. "They believed in tampering with things that I believed mankind should simply not."

"Cloning, stem cells, and the other things they do right?"

"That, and one other thing…"

"Matronian research in Nano-Augmentations right?"

Tylar sighed and said," Yes, that was the main thing. A combination of Cloning, and using Matronians as guinea pigs. Did I tell you they wanted _me _to be the one to be the lead researcher on the experiment with Jenna Ramirez?"

"You mean Jenna Williams now."

"Yes, Dorian Williams' estranged wife now."

"That poor woman. I heard the stories about her."

"I have no doubt they're all true."

"That gives me chills just thinking about what they did to her. Can't say I blame her entirely for going with Dorian though."

"Indeed. I can't say I approve of her actions of today, but I can understand why she did what she did. All we can do is pray she comes to her senses."

Tylar turned back to his work and continued while Ami sat thoughtfully in the chair next to him. Tylar got up and began to look for a few components for a device he had been working on that day.

Ami looked over and said," Hey, uh, Tylar?"

"Humm?"

"Well, we're going to be here for a good long while, and, well, I just, uh, just wanted to know if you wanted to… you know, finish up our game of chess, when we have a bit of free time here?"

"What?" He said, trying not to look too happy. "Oh, oh, that."

"Yea, but we could wait still."

"No, no, I was quite looking forward to that."

"How about in a nice café where the rest of the team won't bother us like they usually do."

"Oh, capital idea! I'm sure we'll have some free time soon, and I promise we'll go. But don't be surprised when I beat you though, heh."

Ami smiled playfully and said," Oh we'll see about that, heh."

Tylar put down a small device and said," Well all I need now is the code they're bringing and I can finish up this project."

"All right, would you care to join me for a bit of a snack?"

"Oh, yes, I'd love you-"

There was an awkward silence that filled the room. Even the computers began to blush at that moment.

Ami, who had gone a shade of crimson, said," W-what?"

Tylar, at that moment looked like a human thermometer about to burst. He looked at the floor and said," To… I-I said I'd love _to_…"

The machinery and computers instinctively went into sleep mode to avoid the awkwardness that followed that moment.

Just in the knick of time, Kayain, once again saved the day by dropping Tylar's pants from behind. Luckily for Tylar, his underwear wasn't included this time.

Tylar froze in horror as Ami turned away. He quickly reached and picked his pants back up and shook his finger at Kayain as he said," GAAA! You! You you're nothing but a stinking pile of-"

"Yea, yea," said Kayain still chuckling. "I saved the day again. You can thank me later."

"Thank you? Why-"

"You're welcome."

"No! You're an arsehole!"

"It was a bit funny," said Danyel.

"Tylar," said Regina. "You've totally set yourself up for that one."

"I don't know what you're talking-" He stopped and said," Wait! How the hell did you get past my defenses!"

Kayain shrugged and said," Bah, it was Cherry actually. She knew your password."

"It wasn't that hard," said Cherry. "I reasoned out all other possible passwords and decided on one."

"Ami Thomas," said Kayain. Seeing the look on Tylar's face he added," That's just what Cherry said."

Cherry merely shrugged as she realized Ami heard that because she was in the room a little behind Tylar.

Kayain, seeing them both turn the color of an apple, put Tylar in a headlock, and said," It's ok though, isn't it fellas? He already confessed his love for her." Kayain, using his mocking voice said," 'Oh Ami, I'd love you!'"

"_All_ of you heard that!" said Tylar.

"Yea, when I said it was funny that's the part I meant," said Danyel.

"Really Tylar, 'I'd love you?' That's a bit corny if you ask me," said Regina.

"Our wittle Tywar is gwowing up" mocked Kayain.

"All right you slime balls, that's enough," said Cherry with a frown. "Tylar's got important work to do, and we don't need you guys frustrating him. And it is _not_ funny to tease him about some stupid Freudian slip. Kayain let him go, now!"

"Oh all right," he said, letting Tylar hit the floor.

Cherry hands Tylar the coding they retrieved from Howard Quigley's house and says," Everything you need is on that. Make me a copy of that data and give it to Regina. She offered to turn that in to the authorities so we could get Crey into trouble. Get the virus prepared as soon as you can because we're going to strike this evening. Mister Quigley has the directions to the facility that's developing CreyComp."

Tylar walked with Cherry as she went towards her room and said," I'll get that done as soon as I can… What are we going to do?"

"We're going to dismantle the production lines, and destroy CreyComp and all the copies of it completely. Regina will turn in the evidence to the police."

"But if we want them to find them making the CreyComp devices, why dismantle them first?"

"Because they will be shipped at 2 in the morning. There's no time for it, because they will have already been shipped out. They do have backup copies of the code, but we'll have stopped the immediate threat."

"And will this get us out of trouble with the police?"

"Hell no! But this is also where you come in."

"Me? What do I need to do?"

"Hack their database, and find all the files you need so we can send out the CreyComp's real objectives to everyone from the media, to the police."

"Ah, and will _that_ get us out of trouble?"

"'Fraid not Tylar. We get blamed for destroying the computers, and then people find out why we did it, and we'll definitely gain some credibility. That's worth doing don't you think?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Even though the law doesn't agree with us, we do what we can don't we?"

Cherry halfway stepped inside her room and said," If we don't then no one will."

Before she went inside Tylar said," Hey Cherry, uh, thanks again."

She stopped and leaned on the door as she said," For what?"

"Just, thanks for always sticking up for me around the guys."

She smiles and says," You're still on about that? Come on now."

"I know it's corny, but really, we all respect you because of your ability to handle situations well. Just thanks for being the voice of reason around dunderheads like Kayain."

"Hey, hey, that's enough," she said. "Now you're going to make _me_ blush… Look, I've got to get changed now, and we're on a time schedule. We can chit-chat later."

"Too right you are! I'm on it."

Cherry shook her head and gently closed the door. She sat on her bed and waited a moment before she said," 'I'd love you,' HA! Oh my God that's so embarrassing!"

She grabbed her pillow and laughed into it.

----------------------------------------------

Captain Terrance sat alone at his desk finishing up the last of his paperwork for the day. The day had been long and hard with the major incident at the FBSA headquarters. Normally it wouldn't be his problem, but since they requested backup, there was a stack of paperwork for him to do now.

He knew there was much more work to do, but his wife had a planned evening out with him. He had already pushed back the schedule several times, and she'd be very disappointed if he canceled again.

Nothing was going to stop him at that moment. Except for the fact that a tall, voluptuous, red head had suddenly appeared right in front of him.

He instinctively reached for his weapon and found it was gone. He looked up to see her holding it and smiling.

"Hate to interrupt you," she said. "But I have something you want."

"You!" he said finally recognizing her. "You're the one from the car! How did you get in here?"

"The front door. Really, Captain, it wasn't that hard when no one can see you."

"You know you're in a lot of trouble."

"Spare me the lecture old man," she says as she pulls out the ammo clip from the gun.

"_Old Man_!"

"Look, I'm here like I promised with that evidence I was talking about against Crey. Are you going to take it or not?" said Regina as she tossed the gun back to him.

He stares at her for a moment, trying hard not to stare at the wrong places since she was in a tight black body suit.

"All right, I did say I'd look at whatever you had to show me."

"My eyes are up here Captain," she says watching him quickly look back up. "I'm just joking with you Captain. Here, take a look at this."

He looks at the small device she hands him and says," Ok, what am I looking for here?"

"This is the coding for Crey's new CreyComp OS. Imbedded in this is a subliminal style of mind control. Now don't look at me like that, I mean it! We've already done the tests ourselves and found this to be true."

He sighs and says," Look, I want Crey taken down as much as you do but-"

"You'll be receiving more evidence in a while. The rest of the Vigilantes are on their way to Crey's facility to destroy the computers as we speak."

"They're what!"

"A break-in and vandalize to Crey Corp. Shall I give you the address?"

He grits his teeth and rubs his temple as he says," You couldn't have picked a worse time could you? I promised my wife a dinner tonight and you guys are going to cause even more trouble."

"Oh, this is quite a situation then isn't it," she said thoughtfully. "I have an idea then. Does your wife have a cell phone?"

"Yes, but I don't see what you're-"

"Give me yours. Call her and let me talk to her."

"Wait, I can't let you do that."

"Well it's either this, or in a few minutes you're going to get called back because of my teammates breaking in to a high security area. So you either let me talk to your wife, or you can talk to her yourself and say you are canceling your appointment because of another case… and she might question why a young-looking red head was in your office after hours, if you catch my drift."

Terrance stared at her and narrowed his eyes. He reluctantly dialed his wife's phone number, and handed it to her.

The phone rang a bit, and she answered," Hello? John? You'd better not be calling to cancel on me."

"Hello Misses Terrance, I'm afraid John can't make it to the phone right now."

"What? Who is this?"

"Ha ha! Wouldn't you like to know!"

"_What are you doing!_" said Terrance through gritted teeth.

"Where is John!"

"John's all _tied up_ at the moment," said Regina making gestures for him to be quiet. "So you'll just have to talk to me Misses Terrance!"

"I don't know who you are, but put John on the phone this instant!"

"Oh? You don't want to talk to me? Well then, let me just remove the gag from his mouth and you can say hi."

Regina covered the speaker and said," Pretend you're kidnapped, and I'm holding you hostage."

"I can't-"

Regina hands him the phone.

"Grrr… Vanessa?"

"Oh, John! What's going on?"

"I've been, uh, kidnapped by the Vigilantes."

"What! You mean those thugs on the news!"

"_Thugs_!" said Regina indignantly.

"I need help, please, call the department and tell them-"

Regina snatches the phone and says," That's enough out of you! Misses Terrance, if you ever want to see your husband again, you will pay us the sum of-" she pauses and realizes she has no idea of the currency here at all "-well that will be determined on a later date, but rest assured it's a lot of money!"

"I don't know _who_ you think you are missy, but if you dare harm him, I'll GUT YOU LIKE A FISH, YOU HEAR ME!"

Regina recoiled and pulled the phone away from her ear as Ms. Terrance said the last part. She put the receiver back and said," Yea, um, sure, whatever. As long as you are going to pay, no harm will come to your husband. I'll contact you again with more instructions."

Regina hung up, and the Captain said," Just what the hell are you trying to pull?"

"Look… At this moment you have two options. You can come with me and I will show you everything you need to know to take Crey down. And in doing so, you will save millions of people from an evil plot… Or, you could just arrest me now, and get a few kudos for arresting someone in the name of Crey's justice."

The Captain seemed to be considering this for a moment.

"I don't know," he said. "I mean I can't just _go_ with you guys just like that."

"Remember? I'm kidnapping you. We can tell people I did it as a desperate attempt to reveal the truth. You can deal with me as you like afterwards, arrest me or whatever, but I want you to help us take down an even greater force before it gets us all… Please Captain. Come with me and I will show you. I'll prove to you that Crey has been working on that piece of evidence I showed you. Together, we can stop Crey and it's twisted Countess. We can put her away for a very long time, if you'll just come with me."

"And if you're wrong?"

"Then you can arrest me. I'll turn myself in, girl scouts honor."

The captain rubbed his chin and said," Ok, we have a deal then. You show me what you need to, and if I'm not impressed, you're going down."

"Agreed."

"Now there's the matter of my wife…"

"Scary woman isn't she?"

"Why do you think I was so worried about missing my dinner date?"

----------------------------------------------

"Commander, we're being hailed," said Communications officer Zander to Valentine.

"Put them through," said Valentine.

When the main screen turned on, Valentine was staring right in the face of someone she hoped she'd never had to encounter again.

Admiral Odo Trevorne. A brute of a man with a face and body to match. One of the first things you'd notice about him was his eye. Eye, as in singular, because the other eye was covered with an eye patch; something Valentine was very surprised over.

The man regarded her with what seemed like malice, but said simply," Oh, it's just you."

"Admiral," said Valentine as she nodded back.

"It seems as though you arrived before we did… Although truth be told, I did not expect you to come, seeing as we strictly _forbid_ you to interfere with Matronian affairs."

"Well that's an odd thing to say, Admiral. I don't see Matronian flags hanging over this planet, do you?"

"Nevertheless, they are in Matronian space, and are hereby our responsibility. You should already know this."

"Yes, yes, of course I do. I wonder though, if _you're_ familiar with our policy on underdeveloped planets?"

"I am. And I was hoping you'd be able to provide information on the energy signatures coming from it."

"We do, Admiral," said Valentine as she folded her hands together. "We need to talk though. The situation here is very complicated, and I don't want an incident."

"Fair enough. Just give us any information we need and clear out of the way."

"That's not going to happen Admiral."

"Fine, then we're going in to find out ourselves."

"Damn it Odo! For once in your ga-damn life will you _please_ listen to me? I _know_ how you work things. I've had to stop you once before."

"You _don't_ have to remind me," he said as he rested his hand on his eye with the eye patch.

This was followed by a short awkward pause. The kind of pause where all of the listeners in on the following conversation suddenly go back to pretending to work as if they weren't really listening.

"Look," he said. "I can arrange a meeting with the Admirals here so we can all get your information at once. The last thing we want is an incident, so if you have helpful information that can prevent one, we're all ears. Well at least _I_ am. Just tell us what you know, and we'll decide from there."

"But do I have your word that you won't move in close to this planet until we've decided what to do?"

He sighed and said," Yes, I promise we will not move in on this planet until we know what we're up against. I'll set up the meeting for this evening. Please be here promptly at 2700. Odo out."

Valentine slumped back in her chair and rubbed her temple. She knew this was going to complicate things, especially because they had History. The capital H said it all.

The door to the bridge opened, and in came Lead Engineer Ken, Valentine's husband.

"Vi, what's going on? I heard Odo was here."

_News_, she thought. _Travels awful fast around here once it gets out._

"Yes," she said. "Hon, I hate to upset you, but Odo wants to meet with me this evening."

He looked skeptical and said," Why?"

"It's a meeting hon. He wants me to tell him and a bunch of other Admiral pricks about the situation here."

"In that case, I'm coming with you," said Ken.

She regarded him for a moment, and smiled. Years of experience had taught her better than to argue, so she said," That's fine, but you have to bring the information with you. Just talk with officer Sommelier"

"The self proclaimed 'god of wine' dude?"

Valentine chuckled and said," Yes, him. He's always on top of things when it comes to keeping our records."

"That's not all he's been on top of," he said quietly.

Valentine really had to hold back laughing at that one. Officer Sommelier was quite a stud in her opinion. The man was sculpted like Kayain, and was almost never seen without the company of several swooning women.

"Anyway," said Valentine. "Let's get ourselves ready. Because I already know this isn't going to be pretty."

----------------------------------------------

Security Chief Whitney was stuck on the sublevels of a Crey complex in Independence Port. He heard on the intercom that there was intruders, and the situation wasn't going well.

"All right ladies and gentlemen," he began. "I don't know how these people found us, but in the name of our lady we need to protect these computers at all costs! The shipment _will_ be on time, and we _will_ kill these intruders!

"Yes sir!" they all said.

"Power up as many power suits as you can, and get the Paragon Protectors out there!"

"Uh sir?" asked one.

"What?"

"We've already done that sir. The Protectors are down, and so are the majority of our suits."

"Oh… Well then get the remaining suits then and we'll push them back!"

"Sir?"

"What!"

"You're wearing the last suit we have."

"Oh… Well then, instead we get our weapons and gather the men from the front and rush them all at once!"

"Heh… Uh sir?"

"What…"

"They've already taken the front… and everywhere else… they're on their way to us now."

"Oh… well then instead ladies and gents, we make our last stand here! Everyone get as many weapons as you can!"

"Yes sir!" they all said.

"Sir?"

"_What!_"

"We're extremely limited on weapons. They already beat everyone with the heavy arms."

"Oh…well what _do_ we have?"

"A few pistols sir."

"And that's it?"

"Allen over there has a wrench."

"Is that supposed to be a joke?"

"No sir, a bad coincidence more like."

"Ok then," said Whitney through gritted teeth. "Ladies and gents, we'll make our last stand equipped with our limited supply, and our wits."

"Um, sir?"

"WHAT NOW!"

"Most of these people weren't hired for their ability to fight. They're engineers."

"Ok then, what would _you_ suggest?"

"I wouldn't rule out panicking and begging sir."

"Consider my menacing glare…"

"Right you are sir! Inspiring speech! Last stand, here we come!"

Suddenly, they heard the elevator behind them ding, telling them someone was already there.

"Weapons at the ready!" said Whitney.

Everyone drew their pistols and pointed at the elevator.

A solitary man stepped out casually. A costume clad hero, wearing black and yellow, and lots of blond spiky hair.

The man looked up at them, adjusted his gloves and said," Oh I'm sorry, I thought we knocked already."

"FIRE!" said Whitney.

Simultaneously they opened fire at him. The man twitched as the bullets rained on him. He soon after fell down in a heap.

"Did we get him?" asked the guard.

"Of course we did, idiot!" said Whitney. "Go move the body out of the way!"

"What, me?"

Whitney lifts the man off the ground by his collar and says," No stupid, I meant that _other_ guy next to me… OF COURSE I MENT YOU! NOW GET YOUR ASS OVER THERE!"

"Y-yes sir…"

The guard goes over to the crumpled hero, and sees something very odd. The hero's uniform wasn't torn from bullet holes. And his face had a few droplets of blood on it, but no wound marks. It was almost as if-

"GAAAA!" said the guard as the Hero shot up, grabbing his throat in one swift motion.

The fury in that man's eyes, and his wild appearance was enough to make any lesser man cower before him.

Luckily for the security guard, he fainted. Not before promptly soiling himself out of the first surprise.

Security Chief Whitney sneered as he saw the hero toss the guard to the side and smile arrogantly at him.

"You asshole," said the Hero. "Blood stains are so hard to wash out. And seeing how you didn't spill my blood on this uniform, I guess I'll have to spill yours instead."

"Don't come any closer!" said Whitney.

"Or what? You'll waste some more ammo on me? Come on now. You've got a better chance of killing me by letting me trip in a pool of your blood."

"No! Get away! Don't just stand there! FIRE!"

Again, shots rang out, but suddenly there was yelling nearby. Whitney turned to the side and saw an extremely tall lady holding up two guards by the neck as they writhed in agony.

"Have at you!" said a voice from behind.

Fast approaching him was a man wearing simple robes inscribed with runes, and a very big and nasty sword.

Whitney fired a beam of energy at the man, tearing into his arm. This only seemed to upset the man further. The man delivered a very strong shot to Whitney's head, knocking off his helmet completely.

Whitney lost his balance from the blow, and fell over. The suit was very heavy, and Whitney struggled to get up. He was stopped by the blonde spiky haired man, who stepped on his suit.

"Oh no you don't," he said with a grin. The man quickly struck him with his palm right in the face, stunning Whitney completely. He was picked up off the ground, and slammed into the wall. The man struck him with his fists, and to Whitney's surprise, broke a hole into the suit.

The Hero lifted the helpless Whitney into the air, and power-bombed him. He then stood over him, and continued to pummel him, right as another woman's voice cried out," Ok Kayain, that's enough!"

"He started it," said Kayain.

"I don't care who started it, I'm finishing it."

"Humph," said Kayain as he sneered to the halfway conscious Whitney. "You got lucky, punk."

He looked to the side and saw a petit woman with short black hair and red bangs. What he was really looking at was her eyes. They worried him the most. He had the feeling many men had gotten lost in her eyes, almost literally.

"Mister, your operation ends now. You can cooperate with us and be sent home as a prisoner, or refuse us and get sent back as a corpse."

"I couldn't help you lady," he said truthfully. "I was only here for security, and I don't know nothin'."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," she said. "You know names. That's good enough for me."

"I won't betray the countess!"

"She's one scary woman isn't she? But believe me, she's nowhere near as scary as I can be…"

"You wouldn't do anything to me! You guys are heroes!"

"Have you seen the news lately? Apparently we're super villains now for doing something very naughty with someone's anus."

"That won't work on me! Besides, my lead engineer is probably miles away in our secret escape route! I told him to- Oh. My. God…"

The lead engineer and his specialty crew came around the corner at that moment, looking very scared.

"Mister Whitney?" called out the Lead. "Hello? Where did you go? And what did you mean by 'to the escape pods'? I'm the lead engineer on this project and I should know that we don't have- Oh… hello."

"Shit."

"Oh Yes, Indeed!"

"Love the kind of people you have working here," said the woman. "Sleep now."

Whitney fell instantly unconscious.

"Oh no!" said the Lead. "You're the intruders!"

"That we are sir," said Kayain.

"No, no! Stay back or.. or.. or I'll scream! I mean it!"

Kayain lifted the man on his shoulders as a very high pitched and girly scream rang out across the hallways.

----------------------------------------------

"I think, Captain, it would have been a very good idea if you'd have just _told_ me from the start that your wife was a super powered heroine."

"I know," said the Captain as he looked in the rear view mirror. "I forgot completely about the small tracking device she installed on my cell phone in case I ever _did_ get kidnapped. She has many enemies."

Regina looked in her mirror and asked," Is she still back there?"

"She's flying above us."

"Great. What powers does she have by the way?"

"Oh, you know… super strength, invulnerability, flying, super speed."

"Laser eyes?"

"No."

"Laser nipples?"

"What?"

"Never mind."

"I doubt your car could outrun her, why am I not torn in half at this moment?"

"We've got at least 9 more payments on this car. She's probably waiting until after we get out of the car, instead of tearing the car like a wrapper and chewing you like gum."

"Right. Well it's either face her, or the dozen police cars she got to follow us."

"Have you got any more bright ideas missy?"

"Just one, and I hoped I wouldn't have to use it… Hand over your cell phone."

"Why?"

"Just do it! You said you'd cooperate with me."

"Fine, here. Just be careful-"

Regina tossed it out the window.

"Why did you do that!"

"Now keep an eye on me, because I'm about to bend light around you."

Regina suddenly went from clear to opaque. And when he looked at his hands, he was turning the same.

"What did you do?"

"It's my energy frequency. You're matching it at the moment and completely invisible to anyone else around you."

"Oh, so you can hide other people as well?"

"I try not to let that be known thank you very much."

Regina began to slow the car down.

"Get ready to get out of the car and run," she said. "Follow me please."

The car came to a halt, and they got out as quickly as possible. The cops stopped and yelled at the car, completely ignoring them as they walked by.

They walked next door to a nearby apartment complex called Vance Apartments, and went to the reception area.

"Ah, good. We're at the right place."

"Where are we?"

"At a friend's house… Oh we need to buzz in. Hello?"

"_Yea whaddaya want?_" said the voice on the intercom.

"I'm looking for a Miss Janet Kellum, in room 409."

"_Just a second…_"

A second voice said,"_ This is Kellum, talk to me._"

"Janet, it's Regina. I have a special guest, can you buzz us in?"

"_Yea, sure. Come on in. Elevator's directly to your left, and my place is the second door to your left._"

Janet buzzes them in and they hurry to her room. Regina knocks, and Janet answers wearing a bathrobe and brushing her teeth.

"M' shorry. Eh wash gettinh reahy for beh," said Janet with her mouth full of toothpaste.

"No, no. Don't worry about it. Finish up and we'll show our guest what we know already."

"Capn' Kerrahs? Wha ah you doink ere?"

"I'm here on business madam," said the Captain. "Regina promised to show me something interesting about Crey."

"Ah, lehmeh geh drehsd."

Janet goes back to the bathroom as Regina asks," Ah, Captain, your wife wouldn't happen to have x-ray vision now would she?"

"I hope not. She hasn't said anything."

Janet comes back after a few minutes wearing sweat pants and a tee shirt. She shakes the Captain's hand and says," So I see she dragged you here to shove our evidence in your face."

"Yes, well your friend is a very interesting lady," said the Captain.

"The whole team is," she said heading toward the kitchen. "Now, can I offer you guys a drink?"

"Nothing for me thanks," he said.

"Just a soft drink if you have one," said Regina.

Janet came back and tossed Regina a soda. Janet sat back down on the couch and looked to Regina as she said," Good news. Forensics found new evidence in the body they found for the Thompson case. Turns out that the body was seriously tampered with beforehand. They found trace chemicals that help alter DNA, and they manipulated the Key DNA to fool forensics. Your brother was right though, with the new evidence, they found the body to be that of Clarissa Can Dorn."

"That _is_ good news. Will that be enough to convict her?"

"In my book it is. I'm just waiting for the thumbs up from HQ. I assume this is why you brought the Captain himself?"

"Yup. Why don't we get him up to speed on what's going on?"

"In a minute. I want to show you something that your team just sent me…"

----------------------------------------------

"Nice work Tylar," said Cherry. "I don't know how you found all this, but this is great!"

"Thank you," said Tylar. "I always pride myself for doing the best I can."

"Sooo…" said Kayain. "What _is_ he doing?"

"Well my simple minded brother, it's like this," he said, while cracking his knuckles. "I hack the database for all details on the CreyComp's specs and details. In addition I find all the hidden data that could take them all down. All the stuff that supposedly 'doesn't exist' is all here and accounted for. What I did was sent it out to everyone from the police, to the media. When they get sight of where it came from, they'll be all over this place."

"Wow, that _is_ pretty good bro," said Kayain. "And nowhere in this plan of yours does it involve you saying,' I'd love you' to Ami."

"Shutup," said Tylar through his teeth. "The virus has been planted, so we should have set them back for at least 3 or 4 months."

"Excellent," said Cherry. "Now the next thing to do is to erase the data here at this facility."

"No problem. I'll do that here, and if you would be so kind as to work at that terminal there?"

"All right… Hey Kayain, I need some help."

"Hua?" said both Kayain and Tylar.

"I need you to go over to that computer over there and do me a favor, ok?"

"Uh, I'm really not that good with computers, babe."

"Please? I'll have sex with you if you do."

"Ah-ha ha ha ha. Very funny… wait, seriously?"

Cherry smiled.

"Yea sure," she said. "But that's only if you like the French maid outfit I'm going to make you wear after that. And speaking of being my personal slave, once you loose, I promised Tylar I'd lend you out as a human table."

Kayain sneered and said," Just tell me what you want…"

"It's a simple request, really. Just go over there to that computer and I want you to try and find the minesweeper game."

"Yea, sure. No problem babe. I can _totally_ do that."

Kayain walked to the other side of the room and Tylar eyed her suspiciously.

"Ok, what was that about?" he asked.

"You said you wanted to erase everything on these computers right?"

"Yea, so?"

"I just gave Kayain free reign on a computer terminal. At this moment I consider it the unluckiest computer in the world."

Kayain wasn't just incompetent with technology, there was a very mutual hate between them. 'Kick it till it works' is Kayain's motto on working technology. As far as he was concerned, technology went so far as to plot against him. There was definitely something premeditated about the way that when he uses something it never works, but bring it to the mechanic, and it works just fine until he leaves again.

_Humm, _thought Kayain. _This defiantly doesn't _look_ like minesweeper. What's all this garbage? I hope 'formatting' is the same as 'looking for minesweeper'. Damn, there's that 'any key' button I need to look for… Maybe I can trick the machine like I usually do by pressing the space bar. Ha! I knew it. I'm smarter than the machine… What's this now?_

"Hey guys," said Kayain. "I think I did something I shouldn't have."

"See?" said Cherry. "Right on cue."

"I'm seeing this picture here of the Countess, and she keeps morphing into a weasel."

"Oh really?" says Cherry. "How'd you do that?"

"The 'Katrul' button and the 'ahlt' and the O at the same time."

"Control alt O," says Tylar. "By Jove he's right. Must have been something from Mister Quigley."

"Hey guys," said Kayain. "I think I _really_ messed something up."

"That's nice Kayain," said Cherry, waving her hand dismissively. "Keep looking, I'm sure you'll find it eventually."

Cherry gets a signal on the communicator, and she answers," This is Cherry."

"Hey sis," she hears Regina say. "Nice job on the information. I have the captain of the PPD here, and he's looking it over right now. If things go over well, we may have the authority to take down the Countess Crey herself!"

"That's great news!" says Cherry.

"And not only that, he's reading the section on us, and how they paid off the judges to order our arrest. It's got names and everything. How did you get all this?"

"You have Tylar to thank for that. He found everything."

"Awesome job Tylar. I think I owe you a kiss don't I?"

"Oh… no, no, no," said Tylar. "You're embarrassing me… Well perhaps a small one."

"And there'd better be some tongue in it," said Kayain in his mock Tylar voice. He grabbed Tylar's communicator and said," And while you're at it, why don't you flash me your puppies?"

"Heh, heh," said Regina. "For you Kayain, anything."

"Sweet!"

"_Anyway_," said Cherry as she snatched away the communicator and handed it back to Tylar. "What has Janet said?"

"She says we will definitely have a case now," said Regina. "If the Captain approves, we'll have a warrant, and then with this evidence we'll have a case… Ah the Captain is coming. Let me call you back…"

"I hope this goes over well," said Tylar.

"It will," said Cherry. "It has to."

"Hey guys," said Kayain.

"Yes Kayain?" said Cherry as she turned around. Behind her was Kayain sitting on a chair next to a pile of charred remains.

"I know I was supposed to be looking for minesweeper, but things got a little complicated see?"

"Go on…"

"Well first I somehow erased everything on the computer…"

"Dear me, that sounds bad."

"Yea, and uh, anyway, next I somehow managed to make the computer set itself on fire."

"On fire you say? I didn't know a computer could set _itself_ on fire."

"I didn't either. But it did manage to put a big picture of a middle finger on it before it melted away."

"You certainly have a way with computers don't you?"

"Yea so… I'm not in trouble am I?"

"No, no, no, far from it. I can forgive you _this_ time, just don't let it happen again, ok?"

"Really? Phew, I thought I was in trouble or something… so… You still wanna have sex?"

"Sorry, you didn't actually find the minesweeper, so no."

"Aaaww!"

After a few minutes of silence, Regina called in and said," All right! The Captain has decided she is now a prime suspect, and has a warrant out for her arrest. Right now, he's calling his men and letting them know of the situation."

"All right!" said Cherry. "This means we're in the clear as far as the law goes."

"Yea, and he says that _we_ are allowed to bring her in. Just a little added bonus for all our troubles."

"Sweet!" said Kayain. "Payback's a bitch, and I'm top dog there."

"Yea I know, this is going to be-" The connection was suddenly interrupted by a loud crash noise "-Uh oh… No! WAIT! AAAHH!"

----------------------------------------------

Misses Terrance busted through the wall and headed straight for Regina. She grabbed her by the front of her body suit and flew her out the hole in the wall.

"Ack! You're making a big mistake!" said Regina.

"No! _YOU _made the mistake when you ruined my dinner plans! You know how hard it is to get a reservation at the _Toulouse Garden_!"

Regina looked down at the impending doom below her.

"I'm really sorry about that-"

"You villains are all alike! You don't care about anything but yourselves! You selfishly steal that which is most precious to someone else and everyone has to suffer for it!"

"Again, I'm really sorry but… Oh God we're very high up…"

She pulled Regina closer and said," What's the matter Villain? Afraid of heights?"

"Heights don't bother me…"

"Maybe if I were to drop you, you'd change your mind?"

"Falling doesn't scare me," she said defiantly. She looked down and said quietly," But landing does."

"Ha!"

"Lady, I didn't _really_ kidnap your husband… it was all pretense madam! I only did it to get him to come with me to that hotel with Janet and, oh shit-" Misses Terrance's face twisted in rage at that point "Boy, that could have been worded better- WAIT! Don't drop me! I can explain!"

"You've got five seconds!"

"I brought him there so we could nail the Countess Crey at- SHIT! NO!"

She let go of Regina.

"Gina! Come in! This is Terrance!" he said over the communicator.

"A little busy at the moment! I'm about to become pavement in a few seconds!"

She plummeted faster and faster, and when she was close to hitting the road, she closed her eyes. Suddenly, she was lifted into the air again. She looked up to see she was being carried by Misses Terrance again.

"Please… Talk to your… husband… I'm going to be sick."

"Honey! Please, don't hurt her!"

"So," she said nastily. "Just _what_ the hell was she talking about, John, when she said she was taking you to a hotel?"

"No! It's not like that honey! I'm here with Janet Kellum, of the FBSA, and the whole thing was a set-up for me to find evidence against the Countess Crey. Please, you have to believe me. It was all planned out, and I was part of it."

"What! You expect me to believe that-"

"Honey! Just do what I say!"

She sneered a bit and said," All right. I'm on the way." She added," And as for you… You'd better hope he's got something good, or I'll use your head as a mop to clean up your own blood."

"Ah-ha ha ha…"

----------------------------------------------

"Hello? Regina, come in! Regina!" said Cherry on her communicator. "Damn it, what happened to that girl…"

"Cherry?" said Regina.

"There you are! What the heck happened?"

"Turbulence."

"What?"

"Never mind. Look, I'm ok now, all right? It was a misunderstanding. Apparently someone I know actually _does_ have x-ray vision."

"I want x-rated vision too!" said Kayain.

"And what was that noise earlier?" asked Cherry, ignoring Kayain.

"Oh, just someone flying through the wall. No biggie. The good news is, our names are cleared as the super villains, and we've got a warrant out on the Countess's arrest."

"In that case, I have one more job for you this evening."

"Only one?"

"Perhaps you and your wallflower friend could go to the facility that controls the source of Biggs and Lu Bu's infectious problem?"

"Oh sure… you have that data as well?"

"Janet does. She'll give you the location, and the details on how to stop the device."

"Janet says it's located here in Founders Falls… I'll get right on it. Gina, out."

Cherry nods at the rest of them and says," Let's head back home. We're going to need the rest of the crew to infiltrate Crey's headquarters."

----------------------------------------------

Early morning, the Countess Crey sat in her limo quietly waiting for them to arrive at her hidden cave entrance. Word had spread quickly that the Countess was guilty of murder, fraud, and many other conspiracies. All of which were absolutely true, but she wasn't about to let the masses find her to be put on trial. Especially not when her empire was so strong. Something like this could shatter the entire foundation, and she would not stand for it. At least not in the United States she wouldn't.

But the Countess was very crafty and very elusive. Any kind of massively illegal operation should always come equipped with an intricate escape route. The Countess spared no expense when it came to a largely planned escape tunnel out of the city, where she could safely make her getaway to the next country.

She sat in confidence that her private jet was safely being prepped outside the city limits. She thought,_ I loathe heroes. Meddlers! That's what they are. Everything would have gone exactly as planned if it weren't for those Vigilantes. I promise, I won't rest until I get my revenge on all of them. They deserve pain, and in the worst way possible. I've already sent out the kill order for those two who stole my nano-tech. Now I need a way to make them writhe…_

The Countess exited the limo to see the abandoned building that housed her escape tunnel, had it's door torn off the hinges. Hopkins examined it and said," Forced entry ma'am. We'll check it out."

Hopkins examined the small area inside, and found no damage to the hidden door that led to the tunnels. He came back out and said," I don't know ma'am. Might have been some homeless, cause there's empty barrels that was used for fires."

"Humph," she said. "Let's just get out of here as soon as possible. The police could be on their way any second now-"

Right on cue, Captain Terrance suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He said," Too late."

Police sirens sounded off in the distance as the Countess said," You! Terrance, I'll have you fired for this! I'll have you-"

"No," said Cherry who also appeared from behind. "I'll make sure, personally that you get put away for good."

"In the name of everyone who you made suffer! And in the name of JUSTICE!" said Diana. "I will punish you villain!"

"To build a better world, a place where people are free of oppression and suffering!" said Kayain as he posed dramatically.

"Oh come on now," said Danyel. "That was bad Kayain."

"Vigilante's I presume?" said the Countess. "Men! Get them!"

The two groups clashed in that little area. A paragon protector charged at Danyel, who simply smiled and teleported behind him right as he thrust his claws at him. Danyel lazily waved his hand and swept the Protector into the air with a devastating tornado.

Diana leaped from enemy to enemy pummeling them with anti-magic energy wrapping her fists.

The rest of the Vigilantes fought off the Countess' forces, while Kayain looked toward the Countess herself.

"Hey!" he called out. "They're getting away!"

Kayain ran down with them as they went to the escape hatch. He followed them into a closed off doorway, where the Countess was entering a code to open the door.

"Nowhere to run," said Kayain stopping a few paces away. "And no place to hide."

The Countess merely turned her head and sneered at him.

"Hopkins," she said as she typed. "Dispose of this fool."

"With pleasure ma'am," he said.

"Oh Yes, Indeed!" said Kayain, as he cracked his knuckles.

Hopkins straightened his tie, and popped his neck from side to side. Kayain yawned and said," Just don't make it too easy for me, eh?"

Hopkins charged and swung at Kayain. Kayain sidestepped gracefully, caught his arm, and brought him down to the floor, putting him in an arm bar.

"You know," said Kayain as he held Hopkins's arm. "Your boss is quite the hottie. You ever get a piece of her ass? I know _I'd_ want to bury my bone-"

Kayain was a bit surprised to see Hopkins power his way up and toss Kayain aside like a rag doll.

"Do _not_ talk about our good lady like that!" he said.

"Oh, touched a soft spot have I?" said Kayain getting up. "You're gay right? I mean how could you _not_ want a piece of ass like her? I bet she's been knocked up so many times-"

Hopkins charged again, and this time caught Kayain in the torso, and rammed him into the solid rock wall. He slammed his fist several more times until there was a bloody imprint of Kayain as he was smashed into the wall.

He breathed for a moment, as Kayain was motionless on the wall. He adjusted his tie, and prepared for another hit. Kayain suddenly sprang forward, ramming his own fist into the tree trunk chest of Hopkins. Hopkins was caught off guard, as he had the wind knocked out of him from that shot. Kayain laid on a series of bone shattering punches and kicks, as Hopkins struggled to regain breath.

Hopkins swatted Kayain away and Kayain scooted back and said," Hey, I can see you've got super powers yourself eh? How many times did you have to pleasure your boss to get those powers, eh?"

"Shut up!"

"Hey lighten up man! I'm only joking. I'll take good care of your boss all right? I'll make sure she gets her pleasure while she's in jail-"

Hopkins charged Kayain and Kayain went low, and tripped him, making him land into the wall.

"On the bright side," Kayain said. "You're a pretty big guy, so when you're in jail, you'll more than likely have your fair share of chilly dogs."

Hopkins turns around with a very large boulder he pulled out of the wall, and throws it at Kayain. The rock hits, and smashes Kayain into the wall again.

He charges Kayain, and Kayain moves in time so he doesn't get cornered again.

Cherry comes running down the stairs and sees the fighting. She grits her teeth and mind dominates Hopkins, who is having trouble resisting.

"Yo! Go get the Countess! I'll handle this fool, I've already got backup," says Kayain.

"Where is she?" asks Cherry.

"She's going to the escape pod. You can follow her, but be careful."

"You too Kayain."

"Yea, yea, we can make out later. Now GO!"

Cherry goes off down the corridor while Hopkins breaks free from the mind domination.

Kayain puts his arms out to the side and grins at Hopkins as he says," What can I say though? As hot as your boss is, I'd never, AND I MEAN NEVER! Screw a nasty skank like her!"

"SHUT UP!"

Hopkins charged again. He wanted nothing more than to snuff out the grinning, arrogant, smiling face of Kayain. Fist raised, he closed in on him, when suddenly he ran into what seemed like a brick wall. He slammed hard into something in front of him, and fell over seeing stars.

Regina became visible right in front of Kayain, smiling.

As much as Kayain loved a good one on one fight, he would never say no to a good ol fashioned surprise gang bang on an enemy. Especially if the help came from an incredibly sexy woman.

And as far as Kayain was concerned, another thing about the 'Vigilante Way' was there was never an 'inappropriate' time for a good kick in the nuts in a fight.

He said," You got him pretty good. Can I give you a Football high five?"

Regina put her hands on her hip and said," You mean slap my ass and say 'good job'?"

"Yea, one of those."

Regina pretended to be surprised, and gently slapped Kayain's cheek as she said," Fresh! Keep it in your pants big guy. But I will say though, I'm glad you said you'd never do it with that nasty Countess. For a moment I thought you were cheating on me."

"Aww baby, you know I'd never cheat on you. Now, how about that spanking though?"

"No thanks darlin'."

"I wasn't talking about you," he said, looking at Hopkins.

----------------------------------------------

Cherry continued down the corridor in pursuit of the Countess. She felt a presence nearby and slowed down a bit.

"Julianne! I know you're out there!" said Cherry. "Give it up, you've lost. Soon, the world will find out who you really are and what you did."

A gun shot rang out and a bullet ricocheted off a rock nearby.

Cherry put up a psi-barrier and continued walking. She rounded a corner and saw the Countess pressing a series of buttons on a door.

"Julianne, I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Cherry.

The Countess turned and shot at her a few times until the gun was out.

"Please, this isn't the answer," said Cherry as the bullets all deflected. "I'm telling you right now, if you go in there, you will seriously regret it."

"What do you know!" said the Countess tossing the empty gun aside. "I've done more for this community than you, or any of your hero friends could ever dream to accomplish. And in one fell swoop, you rob me of everything!"

"Take a look around you Julianne. Look what you've been reduced to. You're making a getaway like a common thief. You knew from the beginning what you were getting yourself into when you killed Clarissa Can Dorn. You made this empire off of a lie, and now you're going to pay for it all."

"Clarissa was a _fool_!" said Julianne sneering at Cherry. "Just the memory of her makes me sick! Everything she could have accomplished was wasted on that pathetic man she wanted to marry! All that potential, and talent, and she wasted it on a man!"

"What's wrong with that?" said Cherry looking down a bit. "Everyone's got the right to happiness. Hers was in the loving arms of Count Crey. And you killed her for it. On top of that, you married the man she loved to steal his thunder. I doubt you've ever loved anything in your life."

"Love?" said Julianne as though Cherry had just made up a word. "It was business. How could anyone believe in such a ridiculous thing as _love_? Love is a fool's game, Vigilante. Nothing more than an unnatural infatuation with the opposite sex. Hormones and chemicals, and people want to believe it's something more than that. I've read your mind, and you've loved and lost."

"I have," said Cherry as she folded her arms. "I've loved before, and lost. But I've never lost my belief in love. You're just to immature, and unforgiving to understand that."

"_I'm immature_! I'm not the one leading a team who sodomizes their enemies!"

"Sodomy is an accepted punishment in Orcish culture, and that's probably a cultural misunderstanding between one of my teammates and yours. Think of it as a spanking, only a little harder."

"Is that supposed to make me laugh?"

Cherry scratched at something on her back and said," No but I heard from someone that Sodomizing a clown apparently a very funny subject."

"Very droll Vigilante."

"Hey I've got a question off topic, why her? Why Clarissa? I mean what happened to you? Why didn't you just start your own empire?"

"You idiot! That would have taken too long! I would not even be alive today to see my empire if I'd have done that. And it was all Michael Kane's fault that I got that nasty criminal record. He used me. _Used me_, as a scapegoat for his sorry hide."

"He was murdered recently I hear. Know anything about it?"

"I _ordered_ it! He paid for his arrogance."

"I see," said Cherry as she scratched her back a little. "So you admit to murdering Clarissa Can Dorn, and more recently Michael Kane."

"What difference does it make? You already knew that!"

"I know, I know, but I wanted to hear _you_ say that."

"What do you mean?"

Cherry reached at her back again, and pulled out a wire. She said," Ok boys, I hope you got all that."

"YOU! I'll kill you next!"

Julianne ran at Cherry, and Cherry thrust her back with a psi blast. Julianne landed on her back, but immediately rolled backwards into standing position.

Cherry then began to try and mind dominate Julianne, but was caught off guard by a mind domination from Julianne.

Cherry's eyes went wide and she grabbed her head in pain.

"I'm going to liquefy everything in your head and make you drink it!" says Julianne as she approaches Cherry.

Julianne grabs Cherry's head, and lets out a yell of surprise.

Inside her head, she hears Cherry's voice say_," You know the difference between you and me is I've had my psionic powers for over two hundred years. You've had them ever since your revenant project. I'm much better at this than you are_…"

"Get…out…of…my… HEAD!" says Julianne.

Julianne finds she can't control her hands and can't let go of Cherry's head. Inside their minds, Cherry's subconscious sees Julianne's and proceeds to beat the tar out of her.

After a few good ego whips, Julianne takes hold of her conscious for a few seconds in order to let go of Cherry's head. They both pull out of the trance and breath heavily as if they were underwater for a long time.

The Countess slowly gets up, and sees Cherry cough a bit and try and get up. She kicks Cherry in the face, and steps on her neck.

"You won't stop me!" she says.

She walks over to the doorway, and puts in the last of her code. Cherry slowly gets up again, coughing, and says," No! Wait, don't do that!"

"Shut up and die!" says the Countess as she walks over and stomps on Cherry again.

"You're making a big mistake! I'm warning you. Don't go-" says Cherry just before she gets another kick in the face.

The door opens, and Julianne finally gets off Cherry, and runs to the door.

"Well guys," says Cherry in the mic. "I hope you got that, especially when I tried to warn her…"

----------------------------------------------

The Countess ran as fast as she could manage. Cherry's psionic assault nullified her own psionic abilities for quite possibly the entire week unless she got her treatment soon.

Julianne seals the only entryway off, and overrides the door code, so it is on permanent lockdown. Nothing short of super strength was going to get through that door.

She cursed under her breath at the thought of Cherry. She now wished she would have killed while she was lying helpless on the floor.

She stopped for a moment to catch her breath. She took a deep breath and started to feel better. She had gotten away from the Vigilantes, and was on her way to another country to repair the damages they had done. Soon after, she'd have her revenge on them. Everything was going to be ok.

Except for the fact that she heard a low growl from somewhere inside the chamber.

She looked around, and didn't see anything. But she did hear that low and animal-like growl from somewhere around her.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

Again, she heard the growl, only this time it sounded closer.

The Countess didn't make a fortune and become the mastermind of a hugely successful criminal operation by being stupid. She was unarmed, and without her power at that moment, and the best thing was not to try and intimidate the thing back.

She ran into the escape pod, and sealed the door. The pod was fairly big; two rooms, the bridge and a small sleeping area.

As she tried to start the engine, she noticed the fuel level was on empty. She got out, and noticed a fuel barrel nearby. She dragged it to the ship but found to her horror that the fuel pumps had been cut, and several circuits had been seriously damaged.

"Shit!" she said examining the wreckage. "Who could have-"

On cue, the growl sounded again, this time very close.

She slowly backed away and went back inside the pod and sealed the door. Inside she looked around for an emergency weapon. The only thing she found was an old 9mm semi-auto.

She sat and waited, debating whether she should try and take on whatever was making those noises, or try and get the hatch door open and go on foot.

She heard the growl again, this time very loud, and very close. It sounded almost as if it were-

_Inside with me…_

She turned around and saw the door to the other room open slowly. She panicked and fired a couple rounds at the door until she was out.

The door continued to open, and a silhouette of a very small person was standing in the doorway under the bullet riddled spots in the door. It stepped out into the light and the Countess found that it really _was_ a little person. He was holding a tape recorder, and when he pressed play it made the growling noise she heard.

"Hello lassie," it said.

"Who are you?" she said.

"Name's Biggs, yer little experiment! An' don' ya forget it ya filthy fecker!"

"It can't be! I ordered them to terminate you!"

"Ah, know ya did. But ah got better."

"Impossible!"

"No, yer titties are impossible. There's no way those are real."

"Why you-"

"Ah, behind ya lass…"

The Countess turned around just in time to see a very large axe in mid-swing coming right at the windshield.

The axe cleaved right into the metal framework like a knife through butter. A very large green hand grabbed the damaged pane and tore it completely out.

A gigantic green person flung himself inside and landed next to the Countess. He grabbed her and said," This her?"

"Ya," said Biggs. "Lu Bu, Countess… Countess, meet Lu Bu. The _other_ person ya tried to do away with."

"Sure is an _ugly_ little thing isn't she?" said Lu Bu. "I say we boil her alive. I can make her into some nice stew called 'YAAARGORG!'"

"No! Don't eat me you monster!" said the Countess.

"No, no. The Cap'n said specifically to ya, that yer not ter eat anyone today."

The Countess struggled in vain as Lu Bu held on without much strength.

"An, while ah'm at it yer not ter, uh, yer not ter… ack, hold on… Ah here it is, yer not ter _use her head as a bowlin'_ ball an' yer also not ter- ack, Cap'n's handwritin' is too ga-damn loopy- Yer not ter, _Defecate in the headless torso if ya rip the head off'_."

"Oh, fine… You've sooo ruined my 'rip your head off and shit down your neck' routine."

"Cap'n's orders. Not mine."

"What about her legs? She don't need those…"

"No! Cap'n said she's ter have all her limbs where they's supposed ter be. Cap'n's a good an' proper lady. She won't stand fer mutilation and torture..."

"Well what _can_ we do then?"

Biggs thought about it for a moment, and said," Oh, I know How abou' a game?"

"Let me go you brute!" said the Countess.

Lu Bu bops her on the head and says," Hush! Don't upset mister Biggs. He can get angry pretty fast."

The Countess was seeing stars from Lu Bu's little tap on the head. When her vision clears up, she sees Biggs holding a backpack, and grinning maliciously.

"Well, yer in luck! Ah brough' me backpack. It's full of goodies fer today's event!"

The Countess stared in horror as Biggs pulled out the first item.

"An look at tha'! It seems ah've got some _ginger_! Oh but it looks like she packed ah bit too much, don't ya think so Lu Bu?"

"It looks like that whole backpack is full of nothin' but Ginger."

"Right ya are Lu Bu! Right ya are," said Biggs as the Countess squirmed. "Now Lu Bu, can ya think of any kin' of _game_ we could play with all tha' Ginger?"

Lu Bu actually did have to think of something. Logic was never a good thing to mix with an Orc.

"Cooking?"

Biggs slaps his forehead.

"No. How can we cook if we don' have a fryin' pan, eh?"

"Oh… Oh wait, I've got a different game!"

"Tell me."

"Back on Aaarg, we play this game where we shove as many weird objects as possible up someone's butt hole! We call it,' Aouuuuga! (™)'."

"Isn't that also an Orcish board game?" said Biggs.

"Yea, but for some reason it wasn't that popular."

The countess panicked and said," You can't do that! I'm-"

"About ter be in a world of pain," interrupted Biggs. "Allrigh' Lu Bu, how do we play this game?"

"That's easy. First, we get a one of our captured enemies."

"Done."

"Then, we make bets on how many things we can shove in there in under the time limit of one minute."

"Sounds allrigh'. What does the winner get?"

"Winner gets to pummel the enemy."

Biggs rubs his hands together and says," Ah like the sound o' this. What say we have ah little' wager eh?"

"I thought you said Captain wouldn't tolerate torture?"

"Humm," said Biggs as he rubbed his chin. "Ya've got a point there lad. But ya said ya do this all the time on yer planet?"

"Yea?"

"So, it's a _fun_ game righ'?"

"Well, not for the other guy…"

"But it's _fun_ still?"

"I'm the current record holder of 7 things in a human…"

"And remember Cap'n did say 'Have fun." Right?"

"Yea…"

"Then, ah challenge you ter a match, an yer honor demands ya accept."

"Oh, you're on pal."

_Once again, way too easy_, thought Biggs.

"Allrigh'! Since ah'm a beginner ah'll bet ah can do.. eh.. 5."

"I bet 8."

"Yer on!"

"NOOOOO," said the panicked Countess. "You can't do this! You'll pay dearly for this! I'll kill you all!"

"Don't think of it as something awful madam," said Lu Bu. "Think of it as experiencing my people's great culture firsthand."

"Yea," said Biggs. "Now open up fer the Choo Choo…"

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"Come in," said Captain Terrance. "Oh, you're finally here."

Cherry walked in and shook hands with the Captain.

"Still pulling your tricks Regina?" he said.

Regina became visible behind Cherry and said," How'd you know?"

"Saw the door bump you after Cherry came in."

Regina gave him a little smile and Cherry said," So Captain, you wanted to talk?"

"Yes. Close the door Gina. Thank you," He pulled a recorder out of his desk and said," This conversation will be recorded for the records. First off, I wanted to find out how the case is going."

"According to your laws, most of the evidence on CreyComp was obtained illegally, and they're trying to get it thrown out. I doubt it will though."

"Obvious tactics. However the other evidence was obtained through Janet Kellum's investigation. The murder, fraud, and conspiracy charges will all more than likely go over well."

"I hope so. Gives us enough time to accomplish our goals before the Countess is loosed once again. I believe that next time the Countess will unleash a furious attack on us. We'll be long gone off your planet before then."

"I heard you guys were offworlders from another source… But tell me, what are your homeworld's laws pertaining to sodomy?"

Cherry's serious expression didn't faultier. She said," The same as here. It's illegal and frowned upon. And in my opinion I won't stand for it."

"Anything else?"

"Well… I did hear a good one about a clown."

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind."

"And what about if I said some of your teammates were doing it?"

"I'd say that was completely untrue."

He raised an eyebrow at her and said," Really? I got this report saying that the Countess was sodomized by two of your teammates. Biggs and Lu Bu to be more specific."

"Is that what they say?" said Cherry who still looked as serious as a statue. "I don't see how they could have done it while they were bedridden from Crey's nano-tech assault. Even at this very minute they are in our sick area being tended to by our Doctor. And she says they haven't left the spot at all."

"Indeed," said the Captain. "According to her testimony though, she said the big green Orc started shoving vegetables up her anus to see how many he could fit… then he suddenly stopped, and they fled the scene."

"That's a very odd statement," said Cherry. "First off, Crey's nano-tech was causing a constant source of pain for them, so they were sedated most of the time to keep them from going insane from pain. That much you already know. How is it, that they somehow got up and ran over to a secret base that I never told them about, bypass all security codes they didn't have, and manage to get in and break her escape pod, just to shove vegetables up her anus.

Unless you're accusing us of having some kind of advanced medical technology? You know some sci-fi stuff, like oh, I don't know, how about a stimulant that acts as an adrenaline that keeps people alive and pain free. Now I'm not saying we _do_ have that, but if we _did_ I'm sure it could easily keep Lu Bu and Biggs up and running long enough to do what they're being accused of… But since we _don't_, and that kind of stuff is all make-believe, it's completely absurd."

"You're right," said the Captain smoothly. "It is very absurd. Oh and incidentally ma'am, that was a lucky guess about how you knew her escape pod was broken. You weren't inside there at all were you?"

"No sir," said the expressionless Cherry. "I figured it was broken since she didn't escape. And if I may dare another guess… I'll go out on a limb here but, she might have gotten a very big axe lodged in, oh say… the fuel pumps?"

"Amazing deduction," he said, completely lacking in enthusiasm. "I can see why they all look up to you now. Sharp as a tack."

"I try, sir."

"Another question. I seem to recall hearing that you showed up in court in a full body cast, due to the Countess's aggression. You told your sad story of how that insane woman put you in a body cast, and you only wanted to help her. Your audio recording proved it."

"Yes sir."

He looked her up and down to see no bandages, and her pretty face unscratched.

"So what I want to know is why you're walking around right now?"

"I eat very healthy. Strong to the finish, cause I eat my spinach."

"Good enough for me. I mean it's not like you have some kind of regenerating technology hidden in your house or anything right?"

"Perish the thought! Imagine the kind of facility we'd have to have in order to run a regenerating facility! We'd have to have an entire floor full of things. We only have a limited space in our little penthouse suite!"

"True, true… Ok, that's all the questions I have for you," he said as he turned off the recorder. "Now _off_ the record, thanks again for your help against Crey…"

Cherry smiled and said," I'm sure Claire is a lot happier now."

Terrance paused a moment and said," How do you know about Claire?"

"I'm a telepath. I know it's none of my business, but sometimes I can't help hearing surface thoughts. I can also read memories, and your memory of Claire is standing out like a sore thumb right now."

"Claire, my daughter…" said Terrance as he pulls out a picture. "She was only sixteen years old when she was abducted by Crey. They used her in their sick 'Project Revenant'. They killed her to hide the evidence."

Cherry takes his hand and holds it for a moment. She says," And now you've put the person responsible for it behind bars. And it was because _you_ listened to us when no one would. You decided not to cover your eyes to the truth like everyone else. While others were bought and intimidated, you stood your ground and took her down. Claire would be proud."

"Yea…" he said. "Thank you. You guys have brought a bit of light back in my life."

"Just glad we could help."

"Much appreciated… Oh by the way, Regina, did you get the gift basket my wife sent you?"

"Yes I did, thanks," said Regina as she smiled.

"I have to admit, she was very apologetic once she found out everything."

"She was indeed. She apologized about a hundred times."

"And she brought me along when she was buying gifts for you. I have to say, I thought the parachute she bought you was a little odd, but she said it would amuse you."

"Tell her, I was very much amused."

"I will."

"Ah, Captain," said Cherry. "Hate to cut things short, but we have an appointment today."

"Yes, yes, of course. I'll see you out."

The Captain walked the two all the way out to the steps. They said their goodbyes and Cherry and Regina went around the corner to a hot dog vendor where Biggs and Lu Bu were waiting for them.

"Ah, got both of ya a dog," said Biggs.

"Thank you," said Cherry. "Now Biggs, I suspect the ginger was your idea?"

"Righ' ya are!"

"Mmm, mhm… And why did you disobey my order not to do that?"

"Sorry abou' tha' Cap'n. Cultural difference I suppose… She called me a leprechaun! I'm no' gonna sit aroun' and take tha' now am I?"

Leprechaun was a racial slur that most of the other races used for Halflings.

"Still, you know I had to save your sorry butt back there. And if they _do_ find out about that… Well I can't say I'm going to pull your butt out again."

"Righ', righ'. I agree, I was outta line there. An' I deserve it ifn' I'm caught."

"Just glad we have an understanding… Oh and another question... Out of curiosity, I heard as you were doing your dirty deed, you suddenly stopped and ran away…"

Lu Bu and Biggs exchanged glances. Biggs said," Should I? Or…"

"I'll tell her," said Lu Bu. "Well it's like this… you see, we were playing 'Aouuuuga! (™)' and then we saw she wasn't… err… well she wasn't unhappy about it."

"What do you- Oh NO!"

"Yea… She actually kind of… liked it."

"It were the smile on 'er face tha' gave it away," said Biggs.

Cherry rubbed her temples as Regina covered her ears and said," Eew, Eww, gross. Please stop talking."

"Great," said Cherry. "Now I have to burn that mental image out of my mind. Thanks a lot."

----------------------------------------------

Kayain waited patiently in the lobby of Super Hero Inc. for his appointment with the leader, Ms. World. The bored looking secretary with the short blue colored hair was idly painting her nails and completely ignoring the pile of paperwork in her in box, and a ringing phone.

Ms. World finally stepped out of her office and said," Judith! I've been calling you for the past thirty minutes! What are you doing?"

"I'm very busy at the moment! Can't you see all this paperwork?"

"Judith… You've been a lousy secretary for the past five years. Tell me why I keep you around?"

"You're helpless without me."

"Am not! Now answer my phone for me… Oh, you can come in now Mister Kayain."

"Hot damn!" he said.

Ms. World sat down and offered Kayain a chair in front of her desk.

"Welcome to Super Hero Incorporated. I'm Ms. World, the founder of our multinational. I heard you were from a charity organization that seeks to help out women around the board," said Ms. World.

"Oh Yes, Indeed! I represent the 'Cure for the Common Breast' foundation," said Kayain, grinning like an idiot.

"Wait… say that again…"

"I'm from the 'Cure for the Common Breast' foundation."

"I thought you were from 'Breast Cancer foundation'…"

"Err, no. But I believe our cause is _just_ as important, if not more important."

"What is it you guys do?"

"Well, the 'Cure for the Common Breast' foundation is currently researching the cause of the strange phenomenon in super powered females such as yourself, which causes big boobies, or to be put in scientific terms, '_Boobius Maximus_'. Our goal is to identify what Boobius Maximus is, and how we can duplicate it. If we are successful, the future of every single women out there will be a hundred times brighter! We will have made the world's first ever true breast growing formula! So no longer will smaller women have to worry about never having enough boobage, nor will athletic, non-super powered women. The future will be a better place once we're successful, and you and your company can help out with a charitable donation! You'd be doing the world a great favor if you'd just be so kind as to help out. Think of all those poor, sad, ironing board women out there who need help… our kind of help. So what do you say? Will you donate to a charitable fund?"

Ms. World sat, glued to her char, unable to believe what she was hearing. She just stared at him with a mixture of discontent and curiosity, hoping he would say,' April fools!'

When that didn't come, she still didn't say anything. She stood up, and walked out the door, leaving Kayain sitting there looking confused.

"Judith. How the hell could you let this guy in?"

"Well," she said while typing on her daily blog. "He said he wanted to talk to you, and I said no. So he offered to flirt with me on the phone. I suppose it was my malcontent bred with disloyalty that made me say yes. Or possibly it was simply boredom. Maybe a combination of both."

Ms. World narrowed her eyes at her and said," Judith… You're fired."

Judith blinked and said," Well I suppose it was bound to happen sometime. I would have thought you would fire me for the fact that I steal all of your paper clips from your desk every day. Or perhaps for the times I used your e-mail address to send threatening letters to our board members. Or even the couple times I had your car turned into a cube."

"Damnit Judith! Clean out your desk and get going!"

"Whoa, whoa there! Hang on one second. You can't officially fire me without authorization form WG733."

"I can and will!"

"Ah, but then you'd loose credibility for breaking your own rules. As if the rules don't apply to you. What would the board think I wonder? They'd think all those threatening letters are true, that's what!"

Ms. World became very angry and sneered at Judith.

"Fine! Where is the WG733?"

"We're out."

"Then order some! And go away!" said Ms. World as she went back in with Kayain.

Judith rolled her eyes and said," Yea, good luck on that…"

Another man came up to her and said," Excuse me Madam. I'm with Benson's Towing. I got a call about a vehicle out of commission that needs to be junked."

Judith hands over a pair of keys that were not hers and says," Here you go. It's parked at the top of the garage. Red Ferrari, you can't miss it. Please cube it as fast as possible. The company is paying for it."

Ms. World walked back in with Kayain and said," Look. I run a respectable business here. I have the title of Ms. World, _not_ because I have massive cleavage. Most women are happy how they are. And you'll forgive me for saying that I think your claim is totally bogus."

"Yea but-"

"I will not be making a donation for something as ridiculous as that."

"But-"

"And that's final," she said as she sat down. Behind her sat a view to the garage, and also a tow truck coming for a Red Ferrari. "We simply will _not_ waste company money for something like that."

Both cars drove off.

"Well… How about any kind of help? I mean you could provide boobage data for us! We're always looking for volunteers!"

"What! Hey pal, who do you think you are?"

"They're a good example…"

"All right! That's enough, out, out, OUT!"

She picks Kayain up by the collar and drags him to the doorway.

"How about at least a picture for the records?" he says.

"OUT!"

She slams the door in his face.

"Thanks for your time I guess," he says at the door. "We'll keep in touch ok? Hello?"

Ms. World sighed as she leaned on the door. She looked down at her chest and smiled a bit..

She laughed out loud when she thought about it. She knew that guy was actually very serious minded about the whole thing, and despite his language he kept a straight face. Although there was a bit of truth to it, she didn't think it was anything worth researching.

She went back to her chair and leaned back a bit. She was looking forward to going home today in her brand new car. She looked outside to see her baby, and looked a bit confused.

_Odd_, she thought. _I know I parked somewhere in the garage…_


	7. Chapter 7 The Sacrifice

**Chapter 7: The Sacrifice**

"I don't like this at all," said Ken as he and Valentine walked the corridors of the Matronian battleship, 'Colossus'. "He still wears the eye patch, and that means he probably hasn't forgotten about what you did to him."

"I know that Hon," said Valentine. "But we know what he's like, and if we don't settle him down, that planet is in some serious trouble. This guy just doesn't know when to stop fighting sometimes."

"Yea. I wonder if he still has a thing for you," said Ken thoughtfully.

"Humm," she said as she raised an eyebrow. "I hope not. That would make things go a little easier… Then again I think he might be a little more spiteful to you, since he thinks you 'stole me from him'."

"He was extremely jealous," he said as they approached the door to the briefing room.

Right as the door opened, they bumped right into Commander Odo Trevorne.

He stared at both of them with his usual stern face, and said," I was about to come get you, Martinez. I wouldn't want our _guests_ to get lost on my ship."

Valentine regarded him with discontent and said," It's almost insulting to think I'd get lost on your little ship Odo. And it's not Martinez anymore, it's Vaughn."

Odo sneered as he glanced at Ken. He folded his arms and said," Spunky as always. Come in."

Inside was many high ranking officials sitting around the oval table in the center of the room. Valentine glanced at each face to see if she recognized any of them. Her eyes fell upon an individual who sat smugly as he talked with a high ranking individual. She recognized this man as Quest, the leader of the group named Ages Sect, one of the Vigilante's most bitter rivals.

The Ages Sect is Matronia's answer for the Vigilantes. They are government funded, and were made to specifically overshadow the Vigilantes. Ages would always seem to show up at the right time in order to complete a mission, and take the credit for the hard work they did. The Patriarch's ultimate goal was to get rid of them by economic sabotage, but now Matronia seemed to win favoritism with other worlds due to the 'heroic' actions of the Ages group.

Lu Bu, Biggs, DeVall, and Kat had all once belonged to the Ages sect. But they had many problems, and each have their own reason for leaving and joining the Vigilantes. Lu Bu joined because at first he didn't realize Cherry was Rolando's daughter. Biggs was never able to unleash his full dastardly creativity and express himself properly in Ages. No one played Dungeons and Dragons for DeVall's taste, and a few other minor reasons. And Kat wasn't sure if he was in the Vigilantes or Ages, and still can't tell even to this day.

"Have a seat," said Odo as he took his position at the head of the table. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Valentine Vaughn. Second in command in the Vigilantes."

"Second in command?" asked an Admiral. "Where is Cherry, the Captain?"

"She's very busy at the moment, trying to save that world you guys are planning on overtaking."

"Please Admiral Seromas, let me finish," said Odo. "I bring you Valentine in order to explain the Rikti situation firsthand. Valentine, tell us what you know."

"Well," she said. "The situation is troubling. As some of you are aware, the Rikti who invaded Amram made a run at us Vigilantes and acquired the Vindicator weapon."

When she said this, there was murmuring all around the table.

"You may also be aware," she continued. "That the Vindicator weapon yields a tremendous amount of power to it's chosen user. This weapon already has a chosen user, so none of the Rikti can wield it's power against us. Instead, they've managed to get their hands on some magi-technology and are harnessing the vast amounts of power from the weapon."

Again there was more whispered murmuring around the table.

"We've determined the output of the weapon's power, and we've found that it's enough to power their warp field technology on a massive scale. Meaning that when they ready enough forces, they can launch another all out assault on Matronia, and devour this entire planet whole."

"All the more reason to send our troops in there and take back the weapon in Matronia's name!" said Admiral Seromas.

There was a general agreement between the officials at the table. Valentine knew that the Matronian military was not too keen on Kayain holding the Vindicator weapon, and had plotted to take it away from him by any means necessary. She held her hands out and said," No! You can't do that! First off you'd be breaking the intergalactic doctrine on underdeveloped planets, and secondly you can't even get into the place it's being held."

"What do you mean?" asked Odo.

"I mean exactly that. You can't get in at all. They're holding the weapon inside a crashed ship, that still has functioning shields. So far, they're harnessing the weapon's power to amplify the power of the shields. We've tried a focused mag 5 shield breaker, and it didn't even phase it."

"Are you quite certain it was a mag 5?" asked another Admiral.

"Absolutely. Tylar doesn't make mistakes like that. But hear me out. The shield itself now has both magical and technologic properties to it, and we've come to the conclusion that there's nothing that we can break it with on par from a mag 12 buster."

Everyone knew what a mag 12 buster was. Something that powerful could quite possibly tear the whole planet in half. Destroying a planet was a horrible atrocity in any culture. The other nations of the known galaxy signed a document saying that if any nation used a mag 12 buster on any planet, they would immediately take action and declare war on the offender.

The admirals went back to whispering to each other, and finally one said," My good lady, have you any proof whatsoever-"

"I am _not_ your good lady, sir. You may call me Commander. And yes I have proof. Admiral Odo, I gave our technical information to your lead engineer on my way in. I believe he has analyzed it by now and has his own expert opinion."

Odo raises an eyebrow at her and says on his communicator," Odo to Alexei."

"This is Alexei, sir."

"I have Commander Valentine here who says she gave you some data to analyze a while ago."

"I do indeed Admiral. The results are very disturbing."

"Can you tell us the nature of your findings?"

"These shield readings I got are incredible! They're completely off the scale. They're nothing like I've seen before. I really have no idea how they got this much power, but it's completely astounding."

"I see," said Odo as he looked up meaningfully toward Valentine. "Bring your results to the briefing room please."

"Roger that sir."

"And in the future, _Commander_,I would appreciate it if you did not go behind my back and undermine my authority," said Odo. "All outside information goes through me first before you start handing out documents. You do not give the commands on my ship, _I do_-" Valentine resisted visibly rolling her eyes. "-However, if what you say is true, then we're all in great danger of a full scale Rikti assault. And if the Rikti know how to harness that kind of power, then our own weapons would be very ineffective against them."

"Then it's like I said," said Admiral Seromas. "We need to get on that planet before it's too late."

"You can't just go in there with guns blazing!" said Valentine. "It doesn't matter how many soldiers you use, the result is going to be the same! You will not break that shield!"

"Then what would you suggest?"

"Our captain, Cherry, is already down there working on a solution," said Valentine, followed by a few sardonic remarks. "They're allying with the locals down there who had to suffer through a Rikti invasion already. The only problem is once we break the shield, we only have a little time to get in before the shield changes frequency and it cuts off our breaker. Once my team is inside we'll extract the weapon and they won't be able to invade anymore."

"Preposterous!" said another Admiral. "You expect us to sit back while your rag-tag team blunders through this? Certainly not!"

Quest grinned smugly in the corner as he tried to stifle a giggle. Valentine said," Yes, as a matter of fact we do. You all know very well what my team is capable of, and-"

"We know," said Admiral Seromas. "That your team is responsible for more than 3 million credits worth of damage on various nations of the galaxy."

"Which was _always _paid back," said Valentine. "It can't be helped with the kind of work we do. We also know your people have caused even more in one go! None of which was paid for, or even apologized for-"

"Please," said Odo. "I will not have this turned into a frivolous blame game. Ladies and Gentlemen, let us take a thirty-minute recess to discuss with our crewmembers what we must do. Dismissed."

The admirals all left the area, as well as Quest, leaving Valentine, Ken, and Odo.

Odo turned to Valentine and said," You realize that you have absolutely no support on this don't you?"

"I knew that from the start," she said. "But we have more than one world to save at the moment, and I don't think that's important."

"Always trying to be the hero, just like the old days," he said, looking at her eyes.

"The old days are gone," she said, folding her arms. "I thought the eye patch would have reminded you of that."

Odo turned away and said," I chose not to heal this. Let it be a reminder for me should I ever get out of hand again like before. I suppose I have you to thank for that."

There was a silence for a minute, and Odo said to Ken," Corporal, you look well. Everything good in your married life?"

"Everything's fine Admiral," said Ken. "We've got 2 sons and 2 daughters, all grown up already."

Odo grimaced a bit and said," That's good then soldier. How about your new crew?"

"The Vigilantes are treating me very well, sir."

"Yes, yes… Very good Corporal… Look, I'm going to say it straight. These other Admirals are never going to let you continue with your operations without interfering. You're not on the best of terms with Matronia's military, nor the Patriarch. But you know as well as I, that even though your mother is the most likely heir, they will still treat you like criminals."

"I know that," said Valentine. "But these old cronies are not going to stop the Vigilantes, and you know that."

"I do. But please Valentine, if you want to prevent any unnecessary risks, show them a gesture of good faith."

"Good faith? How would you suggest we do that?"

"I brought the Ages Sect. I'm going to suggest we use them as a special ops team to extract the Vindicator weapon themselves."

"You can't be serious! Not them!"

"It's either that or they will send in troops to do the work. Your choice."

Valentine knew that Cherry was out of communication range. They had only brought along the short-range equipment, and the long range one was on the ship. The decision relied on her.

"Let me think about it for a few," she said.

"Suit yourself," said Odo. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go talk to my lead engineer."

Ken sat back down and said," The Ages Sect... Why them of all people? I hate those guys."

"Don't we all?" said Valentine as she sat next to him. "This isn't good. Cherry's going to have a fit once she finds out Ages is here."

"But are we going to do this? I mean we can't just let these dunderheads send in a massive amount of warships and troops to hang around this world."

"That's the last thing we'd want to happen. I hate to say it, but Odo's right. These people wouldn't want it any other way. I think we need to go along with his plan and have the Ages Sect go and attempt to break the shields. We're not going to help them, and I doubt any of their lousy technicians match up to Tylar. They also don't have a magic user nearly up to par with Danyel, so I doubt they'll be able to solve anything."

"I agree," said Ken as he held her hand. "Hon, don't worry so much about Ages. We'll deal with them later. For now, we'll say we agree with the plan, and we'll have dealt with the Battleship situation. And we've dealt with Ages before, so we'll deal with them like usual."

Valentine smiled at him and said," Sounds good. It's settled then. We'll go with it for now, then while we have them, we'll kick Ages where it hurts… Hey, did you see how Odo was looking at you?"

"Yea, I couldn't say anything though. Former commanders are hard to talk back to."

"For a moment, I almost felt sorry for him."

"Yea but, you'd think he'd have found another woman for himself by now wouldn't you?"

Valentine sighed and said," Perhaps. He wasn't exactly Mister popular… Come to think of it, he's a complete workaholic, and a bit of an anti-social. I'm amazed he even liked me, considering my personality."

"Really, wonder what he _did_ see in you," said Ken. "The man's a complete sociopath. Even now I still don't trust him."

"Truth be told, I don't think he completely trusts us either."

"I really don't give a damn. I personally don't care what any of them think. So let's just get this done and hope Cherry doesn't blow her top, ok?"

----------------------------------------------

"You want me to _what_?!" said Cherry as Kayain towered over her like a Colossus with a very stupid grin. "Look, your idea was kind of funny at first, but seriously, you need to stop."

Kayain had convinced Cherry to join him in the lab room Tylar usually occupied in order to research. When she arrived she found that there were a few more people he had recruited in his notable cause. Some were simply bribed, and others just wanted to look at breasts.

"It's for a perfectly legitimate and worthy research effort," said Proto-man. "We needed a woman from the… oh let's call it 'opposite end', of our research."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" she said as she folded her arms covering her chest.

"What it means is we need a DNA sample from you because of your… what was the word again Kayain?" said Talley.

"Disability."

"Right, disability."

"Look," said Cherry as she got up off the bench. "I know what you're trying to do, and I don't like it. You are _not_ going to spend all day staring at my chest, and you are definitely _not_ getting my DNA for this silly stuff. I don't want you to end up somehow accidentally making a clone of me or something."

"That's not what we're doing babe," said Kayain.

"Exactly! I _know_ you! I know you will somehow mess it up and come running to me with a hideously disfigured limb or something, and all you were doing was making Kool-Aid!"

"Oh, you _had_ to bring that up again. One time! ONE lousy time and you get all pissy about it. I mean can't you just believe in some seriously bad coincidences? Over and over again…"

"Yes, I can, but I don't believe you have the know-how to do real research! Remember back in high school? You always used to schedule study sessions with me or some other girls? You only did that to flirt! I don't see how you made it back then."

"Yea but-"

"Now, wait a minute buddy," said Proto "I think what we need here is a real controlled experiment that actually works so we can prove to her that we can do research just as well, if not better, than anyone else."

"Humm… You know something, you're right! I need a real experiment, and I know just the thing… Hey Gina!"

Regina was sitting across the table equipped with a full lab coat, safety goggles, her hair pulled back into a bun and safely in a hairnet, latex gloves, and a breathing mask. She looked up from her beakers and said," Yea?"

"I need you over here, just an experiment."

"One moment."

Kayain stared for a moment and said," Uh… what are you doing?"

She added a few scoops of some crystals and said," What did you say?"

"I said what are you working on?"

Regina holds up the test tube and drinks it. Everyone winces as she says," What? It's Kool-Aid. Anyone want some?"

"Aren't those the tubes that Tylar uses?"

"They're clean. I just bought them."

"In that case, hit me sweet cheeks!" said Proto as he slapped Regina's behind.

"If you insist."

After Gina punches Proto-man, she says," What's up Kayain?"

"I need your input for an experiment. We need to show Cherry here that we mean business."

"What can I do for you?"

"Now listen up everyone. Most tests are based off of certain facts, and testing to prove another fact, am I right?"

They nod.

"Good," he continues. "First off, I'm going to state a given fact. Everyone here knows that I'm incredibly sexy, if not, the sexiest man alive- What's so funny Cherry?"

"No, no, go on."

"Ok… Anyway I'm pretty damn sexy, and it occurred to me today as I was exercising… I thought,' Damn man, I must be getting sexier every day!' And I'll prove that at this very moment. Gina, if I asked you to have sex with me, would you?"

Regina, being paid by the hour, was not likely to make any kind of fun of Kayain's work. In the most serious face she could come up with, she said," Oh Kayain, in a heartbeat."

"Gina!"

Cherry looked menacingly at Regina. Kayain merely smiled and said," Good work. Now I'd like some Kool-Aid if you please."

"What are you trying to get at here?" said Cherry continuing the stare as Regina smugly ignored it.

"Ah, this proves I'm right! You see I asked her yesterday the same thing to test my theory, and yesterday she said,' at the drop of a hat'."

She clenched her fists as Regina continued messing with stuff, pretending to look busy. She said," And _what_ kind of conversation was this to ask that kind of question?!"

"Ah-ha… Well, anyhoo-"

"Kayain-"

"Kayain gave me a survey," said Regina from her test tubes. "It happened to be one of the choices."

"Would you like to take the survey?" asked Kayain.

Cherry sighs and says," Kayain… where are you going with this?"

"Right, the experiment… What this proves is that since today she said,' in a heartbeat', and yesterday, 'at the drop of a hat'… Well isn't it obvious that a heartbeat is like, uh,-" he counted on his fingers, "three times faster than a falling hat? This proves that every day I'm just getting sexier."

Proto-man looked impressed, Talley was still thinking about it, and Cherry rolled her eyes.

"This is ridiculous. I'm leaving."

"Wait! Can we at least get a photo?" said Proto.

"No!"

"You'll be back!" he said. "When we invent the cure for your disability, you'll be back!"

Cherry walked up to him and said," I don't _have_ a disability! It's Teratogenic! And I'm perfectly fine with how I look, so leave me alone!"

She stormed out the door and left Proto man deep in thought.

"Hey guys," he said. "What's Tart-o, er, Tear-a, um, Tear-a-toe-jet-ick-?"

"Look it up," said Regina.

"Never mind then," he said as he scratched himself. "Well that settles it. I've made it my duty to make sure she gets help now."

"She said she didn't want it," said Regina who obviously didn't know anything about Proto-man.

"Oh well, I didn't really hear that part. She lost me sometime before the big word. The rest is a blur. But obviously she's in denial and needs help. Kayain, we need to help her!"

"Yes! That's exactly what I've been saying!"

"We'll do this not just for her, but for all women!"

"You're preaching to the choir!"

"And while your experiment may not have been inspiring to her, we all know the truth!"

"Hey, hey! My eyes are up here buddy!"

----------------------------------------------

Danyel began his reading on another book. Every book he had searched so far had been very interesting, but none could give a clue or even mentioned how the Vindicator Weapon's magic worked. It was all very complex magic. Something even he had yet to work out.

And this bothered him. He had earned his rank for his ability in handling all kinds of magical situations. But the Vindicator weapon seemed beyond him, like a rubrics cube of magic.

There was a small knock on his door, and he said," Come in."

Diana walked in and said," Dear, there's someone here to see you."

"Who is it?"

"That lady from the magic hall we met a couple of days ago. Azuira?"

Danyel nods and says," Send her in. I suspect she's bringing the equipment I requested."

"Oh you bought some equipment?"

"No, I traded for it. Lost something pretty valuable, but this will be more worth the effort."

"Oh…" she said. She added, sheepishly," So… When did you go see this woman?"

Danyel finally looked up and said," I've seen her a couple of times already. Why?"

"Eh, no reason…"

He raised an eyebrow and said," What's wrong… You've got something on your mind."

"No, really! Nothing at all."

"Diana…"

"Ok, ok! Look, it's just that you've been spending a lot of time with her and-"

"Are you worried?"

"No! No, no, no… no… A bit."

Danyel got up and put his arms around her and said," Di, there's nothing to worry about at all. Remember when I spent my time at the Galactic Arcane Youth facility?"

She laughed and said," Yes."

"Tempting as it was, you were the only woman on my mind."

"Golly."

"Yes. But why are you worried about me and Azuria all of a sudden?"

Diana thought for a moment on how to put this situation to words. She came up with," Well, you know how sometimes you can just _tell_, when someone is showing interest?"

Danyel knew that Diana was extremely bad at this. Ever since his hormones kicked in, he developed a crush on Diana. He was very sweet on her, and she seemed to think he was just a nice boy.

With a history like theirs though, Diana's statement was laughable. Danyel kept quiet his laughing and said," How so? What can you tell from her?"

"She just gives me this vibe I don't like. We girls can tell this you know."

Danyel nods without smiling.

"And she just seems to like you… Maybe I'm being paranoid. I mean I don't even know the woman that well. For all I know, that's just what she's like right?"

Danyel shrugs.

"She might even be married for all I know!"

Danyel raises an eyebrow.

"Heck, I probably shouldn't be judging her until I get to know her right?"

Danyel makes a face.

"And I _know_ I trust you completely. But when it comes to other women, I don't trust them… I think I should at least give her a chance."

Danyel smiles.

"Yea, that works. Hey thanks Dannie, you always know just what to say!"

Danyel gives the thumbs up.

"I'll go get her now."

Danyel waves.

----------------------------------------------

"Send the next volunteer in!" says Kayain.

"Celeste Windbow, reporting for duty!" said Celeste as she came in with Proto-man.

"Guys," he said. "I'd like you to meet my best buddy, Celeste. My only girl who's a friend… with benefits. Heh."

"Heh, you tease," she said.

Kayain raised an eyebrow and said," Well not bad. I mean, wow, she's definitely a great example."

"Isn't she though?" said Proto-man. "Man, I tell you, can you name just _one_ thing wrong with her figure?"

"Humm… Nope, can't say I can," said Kayain.

"Oh, I like your friend here," said Celeste. "Are you going to introduce me or not?"

"Right! This man, as you can see, is the scientifically proven, sexiest man alive today, Kayain."

"Got that right!" said Kayain.

"Mmm, hello," she said sweetly to him. "I can see what he means when he says scientifically proven. You can make even a lab coat look sexy."

"It's a gift," said Kayain.

"And this," said Proto-man. "Is Talley… He's the vampire of the team."

"Oh, ha ha ha," she said. "Wait, you were serious? He's a vampire? Naa, he doesn't even have the Transylvanian accent."

"Sometimes we prefer the term 'Mortally Challenged,' but yes, that's what I am."

She locked eyes with him, and they both stood smiling coyly at each other. Proto-man felt neglected and cleared his throat very loudly.

"Humm?" she said without looking away.

"I was also going to introduce you to Regina."

"Mmm."

"Regina, you know, is a girl's name."

"Mmm, a girl? What?" she said, finally breaking eye contact.

Regina didn't bother looking up as she said," Hello, I'm Regina. A girl obviously."

"Oh, hi," said Celeste. "Would you be interested in joining my all girl exclusive super group?"

"All girls?" she said finally looking at her. "No guys there?"

"Just a hangout for us girls!" said Celeste cheerfully.

"No boys allowed? All girl talk?"

"Yep!"

"In that case no way Jose."

"Hey come on Regina," said Proto-man. "All girls… imagine the fun you'd have. You could, you know, do, uh, girl stuff and… what the heck do girls do? Oh! You could take showers together. That would be fun right?"

"Sounds a little lesbo if you ask me," she said. "I tell you what. If you join an all male super group, I'll join hers."

"Hell no!" said Proto-man. "Talk about your sausage fest."

"Well there you go then. I don't swing that way."

A comment like this confused Proto-man. Girls weren't supposed to have opinions and feelings as far as he was concerned. They were supposed to be like in the movies he saw and all take showers together and enjoy it. Proto-man also never considered the fact that the only movies he watched were rated in an system of X's.

"I'll let you think on that one," she said.

"Anyway," said Kayain. "Can you provide us with DNA samples and all that other good stuff?"

"Proto said that this was all I needed to do," she said as she took off her shirt.

Kayain, trying miserably not to smile, said," Well, yea that's basically it… and a sample of your DNA… Heh, heh…"

----------------------------------------------

Azuria was impressed by the room which Danyel researched in. It was a place fit for a proper wizard; candles lit the room, random magical items on the tables, shelves full of dusty tombs, tubes and beakers full of bubbling substances, and to top it all off, a raven sitting on a skull.

"KAWW!" it said as she entered.

"Ah, Azuria," said Danyel. "Come in and welcome to my study."

"Thank you for having me today Wizard Danyel… But I'm afraid I don't have good news for you."

"Oh?" he said, tearing away from his book and turning to her. "Why's that?"

Azuria tosses a medallion to Danyel and says," I've come to return this to you. I know I told you I'd get you the Sands of Joule for this but…"

"To expensive?"

"My medium dealer who normally supplies all my items is not supplying that anymore."

Danyel turned back around and stared absently at his book and said," Not supplying? The Sands of Joule is only a component, and it's source is from the astral plane. That amulet I gave you is the Amulet of Eclipse, worth more than ten times the amount that a large bag of the Sands would cost… We _are_ talking about the astral plane, yes?"

"Yes. I don't know why he would stop selling me something like that. He wouldn't do it without a good reason though."

He sighs and says," Well, fine then, back to square one."

Azuria says," Instead, how about I give you mine?"

Danyel turns back around to her and says," _Give_ it? That stuff's expensive regardless. And hey, what do you know, there's apparently a boycott on it now. Where's the spirit realm union when you need them?"

"I realize this, but something of this nature requires our full attention. Your mission is very important, and yes I know, the Sands are hard to come by. But I feel your mission is more important than that. So please, I'll get mine and you can finish your work."

"At least," he said as she was departing. "At least let me give you the amulet in exchange?"

"Really, it's all right."

Danyel knows when not to push hospitality. Things are much better free anyway in his opinion.

"Free, eh? Well that just so happens to be my favorite price. It's a deal then."

Azuria smiled. She walks toward the door and says," If you don't mind me asking, what's this for?"

Without looking up he says," It's for a formula that acts as a general catalyst for magitechnology. Since I don't have specifics on the Rikti shield, I have to use kind of a global formula and hype that up."

"Ah, very wise."

"And then, I'll be making an anti-magic formula using Diana's help."

"Diana?"

"The lady who let you in… My wife."

"Oh, so she's your wife then?"

"Yup."

"So, how does that work?"

"She's a gifted anti-magic user. She's able to absorb magic like loofah," he said as he leaned back with a book in his hands.

Azuria thought about this. She wondered what this woman could actually be capable of.

"Is her power… Dangerous?"

"Unimaginably dangerous. The lady's a walking time-bomb," he said waving his hands dismissively. "Like how magic is in relation to life, and creation, hers is related to death, and the netherworld. As a matter of fact, her power can give easy, if not direct access to the netherworld."

Azuria could not imagine why he was so calm about this. She said," Are we talking about the same woman? The brunette who was skipping with a batch of baked cookies?"

"Cookies? Hot damn! Hope she brings me some."

"The same woman?"

"Yea? Is there a problem?"

"No… It's just that I'm not used to things looking so simple all the time."

"You probably should if you're going to hang out with me."

"Yes, you're right," she said, as she nervously rubbed her arm. "Well I suppose I should be going now. There's lots of work to be done and-"

"KAAWW!" said the raven on the skull.

Startled she turned and looked at the thing.

"KAAWW!" said the raven, followed by a small disco beat coming from the skull. "Dance! Boogie wonderland!"

"What _is_ that? Is that fake?"

"Yes," said Danyel.

Upon closer investigation, she saw the raven on the skull was a fake Halloween prop that sung disco songs. As she examined the thing, she also realized the candles were props as well with halogen lights inside. Looking around, she noticed many other fake wizarding items.

"Wait, none of this is real?"

"Humm?" said Danyel as he looked up. "Oh, goodness no. I'm not your traditional wizard in case you haven't noticed, apart from the pointy hat I'll wear from time to time."

"Surely something here is real?"

"A few things. The books are, but Diana threw powdered sugar on them to make them look dusty. This alchemy lab here is real, but I don't have any real potions for it just yet."

"Dare I ask, but what's brewing in the tubes then?"

Danyel picks up the beaker, sniffs it, and drinks it.

"Kool-aid. Want some?"

----------------------------------------------

Kayain was trying very hard not to stare as Proto-man took a more then necessary amount of pictures of the topless Celeste.

Regina comes and sits next to him and says," Is it getting hot in here or is it just her?"

Kayain, also trying miserably not to smile, says," Ok Miss Celeste, you've done more than enough to help. You can put your shirt back on."

"We're done?" she said.

"NO!" said Proto-man as he walked up to Kayain. He whispered," Cool it buddy! I think I can convince her to get nude!"

"I don't _want_ a nude woman in this room! You see I have this bet with Cherry-"

"Nude you say?" said Celeste. "If you think it'll help, that's fine with me."

"No I-" Kayain began, but was cut short because he had to turn around gritting his teeth.

"Shall I describe her body to you instead?" said Regina.

"No…"

"Proto has single handedly turned this lab into a dirty photo shoot."

"I _know_ that! Geeze, this session was a disaster. The only way it could get any worse was if-" Cherry walked in at that moment. "-That happened… Shit."

Cherry froze in mid stride, followed by Tylar who also froze mid sentence.

"Hey, look who finally decided to come back! Changed your mind?" said Proto-man.

"Cherry!" said Celeste excitedly. "Oh my goodness! I didn't know you lived here!"

Cherry did not move an inch.

"Hey, I heard about your involvement with Crey. Very nice job on that. Gosh, you're looking wonderful as usual."

Cherry felt paralyzed from the head down.

"Oh, is this your brother Kayain? He looks a lot like you."

Tylar on the other hand had a hard time keeping his jaw up. "Muaahh," was all he managed to say.

"Hello," she said walking up to him. "I'm Celeste Windbow! What's your name?"

"Muaahh…"

"Excuse me?"

Hand on his face, Kayain said," This is my brother Tylar. Smartest guy I know."

"Muaahh…"

"Nice to meet you Tylar. Kayain tells me you helped big time against the Winter Lord menace. Nice job on that."

"Muaahh…"

While Celeste was busy with Tylar, Cherry snuck over to Kayain, and whispered very angrily," What the hell is this?! Why is Celeste here?!"

"I'm sorry babe! Proto brought her in- Wait, how do you know Celeste?"

This time it was Cherry's turn to be embarrassed.

She began to turn red as she said," I, eh, I met her at Atlas Park. She was extremely friendly."

"What like just running up and hugging people?"

"Sort of…"

"Oh Cherry!" said Celeste walking up to them. "You know, you never called me? Well I can understand that, since you were obviously busy with that whole Winter Lord thing, and Crey. But hey, at least I know where you live now. Would it be ok if I visited sometimes?"

Cherry once again locked up when she saw both her and Proto's expression. She wondered if Proto-man would say anything about their little encounter in Atlas Park. If that ugly rumor got out, Kayain would never let her hear the end of it. He'd make it his personal mission to never let her forget it, and with longevity, that would be a _very_ long time.

It didn't take a Psion to know what Proto-man was thinking at the moment. It was halfway blackmail in her opinion, but she said," Err, yes… Yes, that's fine…"

"Muaahh…"

"Oh get over it!" snapped Cherry.

Regina felt a little control was needed here. "Celeste? Please put your clothes back on, you're done. I think you're going to make Tylar's pants rip out the zipper-" Tylar blushed and turned around. "-And you Proto, take those photos to the dark room and get them posted." She thought about that for a moment and said," Close the door while you're at it. Talley, get Celeste's hair sample, and Kayain, you ask Tylar what you needed to." She regarded the seat Celeste was in and said," And I'll disinfect the chair."

"Yea," said Kayain. "Tylar, I needed to ask you something."

"Err, one second," he said as he fiddled with his pants. "First, let me ask you something."

"What?"

"I say, can you explain why there a naked woman in my lab? Not that I'm complaining, but this _is_ where I do testing, so I don't want any kind of accidents."

"That was Proto-man's fault… sort of."

"I said you could use my lab area if you would use your own equipment… I just didn't know what _kind_ of equipment you'd be using."

"Tylar," said Cherry. "Show me what you were talking about."

"Oh, yes of course," he said. "Kayain, I think this might tickle your fancy a bit."

"You keep your hands to yourself and don't tickle my anything."

"What I mean is, you'll like this especially Kayain. Watch…"

Tylar turns on a monitor and it shows an interview with Positron in front of a very large stadium.

"And so the tech is ready to be tested at this point?" said the reporter.

"Yes," said Positron. "I've worked with a special D.A.T.A. team all year with this, and they've finally given the green light on live testing."

"I assume that's what this long line of Heroes is for?"

"Yes, it's good to have such a large community of heroes, and those willing to try out our new and one hundred percent safe Arena tech."

"Arena?" said Kayain. "Oh yea, I remember seeing ads about that."

"So what impact do you think this will have on our community?" asked the reporter.

"I think this will definitely have a positive impact. The arena will increase tourism for more city revenue, younger heroes can learn from the veterans on techniques and such, and it gives us a chance to explore in the realm of this new technology. It's really a great breakthrough-"

"I was asked," said Tylar. "By my friends at D.A.T.A. if I could provide any help in their VR simulation for the arena. I was able to help them create a VR system close to the tech that we use in our own personal VR training simulators. This is a little something I was able to provide for the community."

"So," said Kayain. "You gave them our advanced tech? Way to go on not breaking the underdeveloped planet laws."

"I was not breaking any laws… They had the tech available, and I just improved on it… a little… well maybe a lot, but the fact of the matter is, that they already had the tech in the first place."

"Uh, hua… Ok rule-breaker, whatever you say."

"Humph," said Tylar indignantly. "Well I _was_ going to ask if you wanted to run a few arena matches against competitors…"

"Do I look like I have that kind of time?" said Kayain. "I've got things to do, women to make happy, and boobs to stare at! I'm already overworked with all the naked women around here!"

"He's got a point," said Proto-man.

"Fine, fine… since you're overworked and everything, perhaps someone else around here would love an opportunity at this."

"Maybe," said Kayain. "I'll try it out sometime later all right? Just not now. And speaking of that, I wanted to ask you…"

"Yea?"

"I wanted… ah geeze… I wanted…"

"Out with it man!"

"I need your…" Kayain hated saying this to Tylar in any instance," h-h-heelllp."

Tylar grinned," Oh so you need my help do you? Can't figure out how real science works so you come crawling to me?"

"Is that a yes or no," he said between his teeth.

"Humm, let me see now… Make Kayain happy, and completely subjugate myself to his silly and pointless research, or make him a miserable failure in all his work…"

"Tylar come on! I need some real scientists here!"

"Humm… Perhaps I could be swayed if you were to put your head between your legs, and kiss your arse."

"Screw that! I just need some help!"

"Sorry, can't help you then. I'll see you later," said Tylar as he began to walk out the door.

"MONEY!" said Kayain right as Tylar was at the door.

Tylar froze.

"You always need that don't you?"

Tylar turned around slowly.

"I've got you a salary of eighty thousand credits a month with your name on it if you just come back over here, and sign this nice little contract…"

"Eighty thousand a month you say?" said Tylar as he rubbed his chin.

"Eighty thousand, that's with all your equipment all paid for, and all the hooters you can look at."

"So, you need my help… And you'll pay for absolutely everything I need, on top of an Eighty thousand credit monthly deposit in my account?"

"Matronian credits. Standard, no checks. Only pussies pay with checks. Straight up transfer, since I'm so freaking generous."

Tylar considered this a moment and said," You've got a deal."

----------------------------------------------

Every city has a place like Kings Row. Kings Row is one of those places that most people try to avoid when they can. This was a place where a mugging was as socially acceptable as a handshake. People who were either tourists or suicidal would venture into the alleyways and never be heard from again.

Every city had a place like Kings Row because every city has a large community of folks who just don't care anymore. They live in poverty, and are content to stay that way. The few honest folks who are determined to make something of themselves don't ever stay in Kings Row, they have already moved away to bigger and better sides of town. No one with money lives in Kings Row by choice.

And every city had a place like Kings Row because every criminal, vigilante, and ne'er-do-well needed somewhere to stay.

It was because of this, the criminal group named the Warriors had organized a party in an abandoned warehouse in Kings Row to celebrate a successful series of robberies. This too was an everyday occurrence here in Kings Row. You couldn't find an abandoned warehouse in King's Row that was not full of some kind of criminal activity. Some folks have taken to the name 'not so abandoned warehouse'.

The Warriors are a gang inspired by Greek heroes and myths. They are fierce combatants, and rely on melee weapons primarily. The Warriors are a feared name in the ranks of the gangs of Paragon City. Any gang who can survive Kings Row using melee weapons only is defiantly one tough gang indeed.

The leader of the Pindus clan, King Thunder, was the gracious host for the many clans that attended. And like their typical gatherings, it was a toga party.

King Thunder spared no expense on this party. He ordered imported food, beer, wine, and mead from Greece.

All around him, was laughter, song, and people completely plastered throwing up. He sat proudly on his small throne above them, with two topless women at his side, caressing him.

Of course there was plenty of topless women to go around. They were all willing, and all wanted a cut of the rewards.

King Thunder on the other hand had other intentions at this party. He had personally stolen a book from those ancient mages, the Circle of Thorns. While looking through it, he became interested in a ritual that would summon a being that would grant the bearer great power.

Any Warrior would leap at the opportunity to gain more power. It was the entire point of being a Warrior, to be the most powerful of all.

King Thunder held his hands out and said," Friends! Come! It is time to put this ancient tomb to use!"

He stepped down to his men and the ones that were sober enough gathered around.

Another Warrior lead said," So what's this?"

"This," said King Thunder as he pointed to the book. "Will be our ticket to fame and fortune! Friends, for so long we have endured hardships. Mostly at the hands of our enemies, the heroes of Paragon City. But no more! With the knowledge in this book, we will be able to rid ourselves of the hated Heroes for good!"

"What's it say?" asked another Warrior leader.

"Roughly translated it says we can summon an entity that will grant us the secrets to ultimate power. It's been done before, and the people who used it wiped out the Ancient Mu mystics."

"Who are the Mu?"

"Exactly!" said King Thunder. "If they're not around anymore today, that's gotta count for something right? I mean mystics are hard to take down, but wiping an entire civilization of them? Come on. Imagine what _we_ could do with that kind of power."

"Sounds fishy to me," said one.

"Come on! We could be _real_ kings, of entire nations with this kind of power… or better than kings my friend… Gods."

"Gods eh?" said one. "Maybe it's just the alcohol talking, but that sounds like one hell of an idea man…"

"Ah-ha! That's the spirit! Anyone else with me on this?"

There was a murmur of inebriated agreement.

"Good, now clear that space over there… we're going to need some room for this."

----------------------------------------------

Akarist the mage sat quietly in his study reading ancient tombs. Unlike some of today's modern wizards and mages, he preferred to sit in a more traditional settings: Candle lit room, bubbling things in bottles, a couple magic items thrown here and there like pillows, bookshelves with dust gathered on them, and a raven sitting on a skull.

No one knew what it was about wizards that seemed to attract spiders, but they always managed to sneak in somehow and make their rooms look authentic. Akarist didn't seem to notice when the cobweb spiders had moved in, but that the room defiantly looked more cozy when they did.

All of this happened within the time span of a week, and most people would see this as odd, but Akarist just thought that's the way things _should_ be. A mage just wasn't a mage without his very dusty and dirty study room.

One reason Akarist had this room for a short while was the fact that he used to be with the Circle of Thorns. The Circle always believed there was only one way out of the group, and that involved a very slow and elaborate death. And if that wasn't enough, they would top it off by imprisoning your soul and tormenting you.

It was for this reason he dared not show himself to his former group. They didn't like the fact he could still breathe without screaming in pain. The specialists from M.A.G.I. were keeping him hidden for the time being, and in exchange he would provide them with knowledge and magical services to aid them against the Circle of Thorns.

While he sat and wrote in his notebook, he suddenly felt a chill. These feelings had come more often now that he was out of the Circle. Akarist knew they were his heightened senses, telling him when there was some kind of demonic presence nearby.

He stopped writing, and waited. Sometimes his former demonic allies would come back and try to terrorize him. But he knew better. He knew it was all just smoke in mirrors.

Still, illusions were very scary. And sometimes they could tell truths, and lies.

The air was still, like the calm before the storm. Even the dusty grandfather clock had stopped.

_3am_, he thought. _It's about _that_ time again… Well whomever they send I shall banish it back to the depths._

The candle lights flickered and waved as if there had been wind nearby.

THUMP

A book fell off the shelf and startled him. He walked over to pick it up, and heard what sounded like a child laughing.

He put the book back and tried to ignore the sounds. The candles flickered again when he walked back to his chair.

When he approached his chair, he stopped.

_Ready or not here we come._

It was written hundreds of times, all over the desk and his notes.

The children's laugh continued.

"Foul demon! Show yourself!" he said.

Silence followed.

THUMP

The same book fell down. Akarist sneered and walked back over to it.

He happened to glance at what page it had opened to. It was a section on a demon named Lilitu. He did remember this one. She was summoned once before, and birthed a son by the name of Infernal. However, Infernal ended up taking the hero side rather than his mother's side.

"Lilitu… They send _you_ to haunt me? Wretched spirit, I shall send you back to the abyss from whence you came!"

He heard another laugh, but this time it sounded defiantly feminine.

Akarist began chanting a spell when he heard yelling from outside. He stopped and took off out the door.

Down the corridor, blood was oozing out of the walls. Again, he knew this was another illusion. He approached the front door, and put his hand on the door knob.

Then the world went white with pain.

Nothing could have prepared him for that. He lay on the floor, stunned from the shock he received. He opened his eyes to the same white world, and heard a voice.

"_Mage Akarist?_" said a voice that could freeze oceans.

"Uhg… Oh, what?"

"_I need to speak with you_."

"Am I dead?"

"_Not exactly. You're in one of those near death experiences."_

"I see a bright light at the end of the tunnel… Should I go there?"

"_Oh, I'm sorry," _said Death as he turned off the lamp. "_My desk lamp is a bit bright."_

"Is that what people see when they die?"

"_Yes. When they have what they call a 'near death' experience, it just means near my office desk. Nothing more_," said Death.

"My word, has it always been like that?"

"_Smoke in mirrors Akarist. Now, on to business…_"

"But I am not dead?"

"_No. Your former mage associates made it clear that you should never see my face for a very long time. But I follow no mortal's orders._"

"I suspect they have something much more dastardly in store for me."

"_That they do. But I've come because of a very urgent e-mail I received. One of my informants has told me that your former associates are summoning Lilitu, but she demands a vessel worthy of her might. After some extensive search, they think they found a perfect match for one such as her._"

"I guessed that much already."

"_To make matters worse, there was a summoning recently… not a proper one either. Someone released an envoy from Hell to the realm of mortals. He's going to contact the demon Lilitu, and they are going to make negotiations. By the expression on your face, I don't need to explain the consequences._"

"But why are you telling me this?"

"_Let's just say that this will not be a good thing for me either… A matter of much unwanted overtime. You and I have a mutual understanding of how dire this situation is. The reason I tell you at this particular moment is because you came very close to an actual visit by me. Get who you can on your side and deal with this before it's too late._"

"I will try what I can. What about you?"

"_I am bound by many rules. You on the other hand can do many things in the mortal realm that I can not. Now wake. You must not repeat this conversation or I will suffer consequences. As far as I'm concerned, this conversation never happened._"

"I understand. I will do as I can."

The world phases back in as Akarist's eyes begin to open. His vision is cloudy at first, but he looks up into the faces of the Circle of Thorns mages surrounding him.

"Akarist the traitor," said the Death Mage. "You almost got away from us, didn't you? But no matter how hard you try, you can never escape the Circle."

Akarist looked toward the Death Mage and said," I suppose you're right. But I have no regrets about my choices. Do what you came to do and be done with it!"

The Death Mage, whose eyes glowed with the malice and hate of the spirit that possessed it, laughed maniacally. He picked up Akarist by the front of his robe and said," So eager for punishment? Very well then."

----------------------------------------------

"It's _working_!" said King Thunder. "Can you feel it friends?! Can you feel the energy?!"

Even in their inebriated state, they could still sense something was not right.

"Yo, Thunder!" said a Warrior leader. "Maybe we should stop this… I mean we don't really know what we're doing, and even if we're doing it right."

"Almost done! A little more…"

Green lights of the netherworld glowed from within the ritual's center circle. A gust of wind flew out, and all the doors in the warehouse slammed shut, sealing everyone in.

"It's locked!" said someone who tugged at the doors. "We're trapped!"

"Thunder! Cut this out now!" said a panicked Warrior leader.

"I… can't… stop…it…" said King Thunder who couldn't move his hands from the book as it began to float in the air.

"Stop it! Stop it!"

"I… it's…"

The center circle went dark. Several ethereal, hand-like tendrils came shooting out of the dark abyss. Several Warriors and a few women were grabbed by the hands and were dragged screaming into the dark abyss.

"This ends now!" said the Warrior leader.

"No…" said King Thunder quietly. "It's all wrong…"

A large and corporeal hand crept out of the abyss.

"Last chance! Stop it or I'll kill you!" said the Warrior as he drew his sword.

A demonic shape rose from the abyss.

"DIE!"

The demonic shape grabbed the Warrior around the torso and lifted him above it's head.

"What have I done…" said King Thunder as he dropped to his knees.

The demon then grabbed his lower section.

"Dear spirits, forgive me…"

There was a bone shattering crack.

----------------------------------------------

Danyel woke up suddenly in a cold sweat. He had a horrible dream about something really bad happening to Diana.

He looked over and saw her sound asleep next to him. He laid back down and put his arms reassuring around her.

The dream was troubling. In it, Diana had been possessed by an evil spirit, and it was trying to trap Diana's soul somewhere… he couldn't remember where exactly.

He remembered the last couple times he had very realistic dreams like this one. The experts at his academy seemed to think he possessed the ability to see the future in dreams.

Danyel didn't like to think himself a prophet, but other mystics he worked with said he had the gift of prophecy. Danyel didn't like to think that way. If men knew their destiny, the knowledge would either corrupt a man or ruin him completely.

Wars were waged over prophecy and future predictions. Danyel knew exactly how dangerous this was, and only discussed these matters with people he trusted.

_3am,_ he thought as he looked over to the clock. _Not a good hour. I pray that that dream was just a stupid dream. I hate this prophecy stuff. People don't need to know their future. That kind of information always upsets them…_

He pulled Diana in closer. He didn't want to believe any of his prophecy was true. But most of the time it was. Prophecy can be tricky. They tell different tales for different choices. Only one was the real path, and that was never clear.

As he held her, he thought back to what Diana's mother had told him.

----------------------------------------------

"You wanted to talk to me Misses Thomas?" said young Danyel

"Yes, Danny. Please come in," said Diana's mother. "And you don't have to call me Misses Thomas anymore. Feel free to call me 'Mom' now."

Danyel laughed nervously and said," But we're not married just yet."

"Doesn't matter… unless you're having second thoughts?"

He shook his head. He smiled and said," No. I'm absolutely sure. I love her."

She smiled and put her hand gently on his cheek as she said," That makes me happy. I'm glad my little girl found someone like you. I really am."

"Some people aren't," said Danyel looking down.

"Kayain's just being his normal protective self… A little overbearing but he's got good intentions."

"I thought he was going to rip my head off when he… you know, caught us… But him and I had a talk long ago, and he's fine with it."

"Good. Then who were you talking about?"

"A couple senior mages in my Academy. They are against the idea completely. I don't know why though. Some of them have it in their heads that Diana's like a disaster waiting to happen."

Diana's mother sighed. She knew one day or another she'd have to tell him what he was getting himself into.

"Listen Danny. Don't blame them for disapproving of her. They're very scared of her. They actually wanted her dead when she was a baby."

"No…"

"Oh yes, Indeed they did," she said which sounded a lot like the way Kayain said it. "But I had a say in it… They reluctantly agreed."

"So that's why the word had supposedly 'slipped out' that you were a necromancer?"

"They did it to upset me. I was not."

Any wizards, witches, and other magic users were naturally afraid of those who could use the dark arts. In ancient times, anyone caught practicing it was punished by death. Even onto this day, the laws were never changed. It then found that the descendants of those who practiced the dark arts were able to bear children who can naturally use it without any dark ritual.

This upset all of the magic community. Long ago there were hunts to find those born with the dark arts, and have them executed before anything could come of it. Diana's mother came from a long line of naturally born dark arts users. Her family had kept the secret well hidden, until recently.

Because of everything her mother was involved in, no one would dare try and attack her or her family because they had the protection of the Vindicator. And no one wanted to mess with him. Although when they did find out, they tried to cause much grief to Diana's family as much as they could possibly do without physically attacking them.

But with the help of the Vindicator, he showed the people that they had the right to life, just as anyone else did. It didn't matter what kind of power they wielded, but what kind of people they were at heart.

"I know," said Danyel.

"And it is on this subject that I needed to speak with you," she said.

"Is it about Diana's power? I've sensed something in her, but she's shown no overt signs of power."

"Diana has always been under my careful watch. She has a very good heart, and I'd like for her to stay that way… for if she is not, then we may very well be fulfilling a dark and demonic prophecy made back in ancient times about the end of everything."

"Wait… what?"

"There was a prophecy about Diana. I have done the research, and all the signs point to her. Key words like,' Ever consuming Mana' and 'Dark conduit' have led me to believe she is the one prophecy is speaking of."

"So, what do these prophecies say?"

"They say that she is the key to the end of all we know if she were to 'fall into the hands of darkness'. That can mean two things: One is that she has a change of heart and turns to evil. Or this can mean that she can be used for someone else's evil plan. I can only hope none of these come to pass, as we know prophecy is forked."

"Yes, that is true. Prophecy has many branches, and we'll have to make sure this doesn't come to pass."

"No, _you'll_ have to make sure this doesn't come to pass. You are going to be her husband. We are giving her away to you, and she's going to be with you for the rest of her life. When things go wrong, we will obviously do what we can, but she's _your_ wife, till death do you part. You will love her, cherish her, and keep her safe from evil."

Danyel smiled a bit and said," I will… keep her safe. This I promise."

"Good. I'm truly honored to have you as my son-in-law. If you have any questions, or need any help about things you are unsure of, please let me know. I will help in any way I can."

"Well I do have one question. What exactly is her power anyway?"

"Ah, a tough question. Let me see how I can answer this… You know how there are two sides to Mana?"

"Yes, Mana is life, or the essence of life. And Anti-Mana is the opposite, drawing from the essence of death."

"Well my powers are the combination of both sides. You can't have one without the other. Even your powers have a combination of both, even though your anti-Mana powers are very minuscule, it's there."

"That much I know already."

"The difference is my Anti-Mana is dominate over my regular Mana… Now I want you to imagine a person who has absolutely no Mana side to them at all. That trait is completely invisible."

"You mean Diana…"

"Yes. Have you ever felt… weak around her? And I don't mean in a romantic sense, but I mean have you felt as if you've suddenly lost all your abilities as a wizard around her?"

"There was this one time…"

"Was it when you were having sex?"

Danyel turned bright red and stuttered a bit," Well… I…"

"Tell me."

"Yes. Yes it was. I can feel the flows of Mana at all times, but that night… It was like they just weren't there anymore. It was a very unnerving feeling, but I felt it disappear from me."

"That is because her ability is not in her complete control yet. She needs to learn how to will it to happen, instead of accidentally happening from something stimulating… Especially if it was very good stimulation."

Danyel looked like a tomato now.

"Her Anti-Mana ability requires the same kind of balance that wizards do. By drawing in the Mana around her, she can harness her ability on 'borrowed' Mana."

"I see, so she uses an external source of Mana to use her abilities. I see now."

"There's more though… Because her power relies so heavily on drawing Mana, it can seriously injure anything that uses Mana to sustain itself, such as a magical creature, or even a wizard. I've seen her use her ability to draw Mana in a high magical area… The results were odd to say the least."

"What happened?"

"Her body looked different. She began to glow a strange yellowish glow, and her hair turned bleached white... She even talked differently."

"Doesn't your Grandfather, and mother have bleached white hair?"

"Yes, and her speech and attitude reminded me of them when she made the transformation," she said thoughtfully. More to herself she added," I think she _inherited_…"

"Inherited what?"

Waving her hand dismissively she said," Another time Danyel. Another time I will tell you about that… But listen closely Danyel, the part about her drawing her power is the most important part. The reason she is feared by all the wizards is because her power source is tied deeply in the netherworld. If she willed it, she could summon anything from the dark abyss with but a simple wish."

"How… How does that work?"

"The summoning of these vile creatures and demons requires a long list of items, and other very crude ritualistic things… Diana has the power to do this on her own without any assistance. If the wrong people knew this, they could release hell's fury using only her. And she would have complete control over every single one of them. They would be bound to her, and she could do anything with them. That's what they meant by 'Dark conduit', if she willed it, she could bring about the end of everything as we know it. We would be helpless versus the onslaught of hell's wrath. All because she summoned them as easily as drinking water."

"That's a lot to take in," he said as he thought for a moment. "You mean to say that if she wanted to, she could just summon any kind of demon and it would be bound to her? Release unspeakable horrors on us if she willed it?"

"Are you starting to see what a big responsibility this will be? Can you see the magnitude of the wizards concern with her? She is the link between this world and the netherworld. If she allows that link to be broken, then the Dark Prophecy will be fulfilled, and all life will end… Is that a little doubt I see on your face?"

Danyel was looking at the floor as he thought. He looked up and smiled as he said," It's concern. I already made up my mind long ago 'mom'. And my answer is still the same. I'm _going_ to marry her, and that's all there is to it. Sure this may be a hurdle, but hey, what kind of marriage is perfect? Keep her happy right? That's all? Just make sure she doesn't turn into some kind of evil psychopath? I'm pretty sure I'm lovable enough not to do that to people… Well, maybe Cherry, but she gets mad at everything."

She smiled very warmly and kissed Danyel's forehead," You have a good heart Danyel. You've made me very happy. Please, make my daughter happy as well."

----------------------------------------------

"Hey babe, wake up!" said Diana as Danyel gently snoozed in his study. "Your food's getting cold."

Danyel woke up in a start. He looked up at her and said," Oh! I'm sorry. I just, lost a lot of sleep last night. Had a lot of trouble sleeping."

"Oh, did you have a bad dream?"

"Yes, a bad one. I, uh, can't recall it now though."

"I'm sorry about that, but I came to tell you that you have two visitors right now."

"Mmm, who is it then?" he said sleepily.

"Azuria and some other dude named… Cadao Kestrel I think his name was. They said it was very important."

"What time is it?"

"About 10 something ahm."

"Ahm?"

"Yea, that clock we have says 'am'. Whatever that means."

"All right, send them in."

"Okey dokey," she said as she skipped out. At the doorway she stopped and said," Humm… looks like we're going to have to spray for cobweb spiders."

Moments later Azuria came in accompanied by a tall, dark skinned man.

"Wizard Danyel," said Azuria. "This is Cadao Kestrel, a master of Voodoo arts."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," said Cadao.

"Feelings," he said as he yawned. "Mutual pal. So what's going on today? Anything I should be concerned with?"

"Yes," said Azuria grimly. "I came to consult with you on an incident that happened just last night."

Danyel yawned again and waved at her as he said," Hand me that mug over there please. I have a feeling I'm gonna need some coffee for this. Thanks. So what's this all about? What happened last night?"

"This," said Cadao as he handed Danyel a large envelope. "That's a copy of the police report that was filled out last night plus some photos I was able to obtain of the crime scene."

"You know," said Danyel taking a drink of the coffee. "Criminal investigation is my sister Regina's department. Not mine."

"Ah," said Cadao. "But we thought you might be interested in this."

Interested was not the half of it. Danyel took one look at the photos and nearly spit out his coffee.

The pictures contained a grotesque scene of bodies mutilated across the floor. Some were hung upside down on various tools on the wall, while others were strung up by their own innards.

"Thanks," said Danyel as he shook his head. "I didn't feel like eating anytime this week anyway."

"Look at the last picture Wizard," said Cadao.

The last picture contained a circle burned into the floor, etched with runes and symbols.

Danyel studied it for a moment and took a sip of coffee before he said," It's demonic, I can tell you that much. See those markings around it? They were improperly done. To me, this has summoning gone wrong written all over it. Whoever these people were, they forgot a few key elements… But the problem is that this inner circle seems to be fine, meaning that the summoning was successful. At the same time, it wasn't properly done. I think what we're looking at is an unbound summoning of some sort."

"We thought that much was true."

"Whatever it was they summoned most definitely got loose, and was very upset. I doubt it's gone back, because the emblem is still there."

"That's what we feared was true," said Azuria. "And I wondered if I might be able to use some of your books as a reference to find who this demon is."

"It's true name? That will take lots of work I'm afraid. But I will definitely share my knowledge with you."

"Thank you Wizard Danyel," said Cadao. "We need to get this force sealed back up as soon as possible."

"Any leads so far?"

"Well, there was one. But we can't use him."

"Him?"

"There was a survivor of that attack. Ambrose Reynard, a leader of a gang called the Warriors. He goes by the name King Thunder nowadays. But his current state is… unstable."

"He was an eyewitness to the entire ordeal," said Azuria grimly. "He's in a mental hospital at the moment. He's only been able to babble incoherently and scream."

"Is that so?" said Danyel as he rubbed his chin. "Then we have our summoner."

"How do you know?"

"Because he wasn't killed, only tormented. Demons are kind of mean like that, you know? They can be tricky, and like to play with their victims. Whatever he summoned kept him alive purposely to drive him to insanity. I've seen it happen plenty of times in improper summoning."

"That's awful."

"That's how they work. Now, before we start researching, take me to this King Thunder guy. I want to see what he knows."

"Oh," said Azuria, not expecting this. "Go see him? Why?"

"Because I'm going to help out. I can't just let some demon run around the city loose and unbound like that. Who knows what it'll do next?"

----------------------------------------------

Cherry took a sip of coffee as she sat at the eating breakfast and reading the Paragon Times. She was hoping to tease him again at night, but he didn't come back until after she was asleep. Also, he was up and awake much earlier than she was, making sure she wouldn't see him.

She could only guess he was doing this to keep his mind preoccupied from the sexy robe that he got her as a birthday gift. She was wearing it to tease him.

He came in shortly after, accompanied by Proto-man and Regina. He slumped in his chair, grabbed Cherry's toast and ate it.

"You look tired," she said. "There's a little thing called sleep that we're pretty keen on nowadays. I'm sure you've heard of it, because it's sooo wonderful."

"Your sarcasm is noted," said Kayain also taking her bacon. "I see you're wearing the robe I gave you… The one I told you not to wear around me."

"I decided to disobey you in order to drive you crazy. I figure sabotage will help me at winning our bet, and at the same time will help me get my bookshelves dusted quicker."

"Ah-ha. Enjoy that robe while you can. Cause soon enough you won't be wearing anything at all."

"Wait, what?" said Proto as he helped himself to stuffing his face with eggs. "Oh! That's right, your little wager you told me about. Right. Hey I'm rooting for ya man!"

"So what did you jerks do this morning?" asked Cherry.

Kayain sighed and put some various items on the table.

"Well here's today's pull… We went out to look for some more volunteers, and this is what I got so far. One used napkin, an empty box of candy, a very dirty penny, two cookies, and a death threat."

He ate a cookie and said," I just hope this wasn't the cookie from the death threat lady…"

"Well here's what I have," said Proto. "You can't see it because I'm wearing a mask, but I have a very red and sore cheek, a couple of paper clips, a phone number for a Chinese restaurant (I checked it), and apparently my e-mail is now on every spam mail list ever created."

"Anything useful?" asked Kayain.

"I did get an apple from this spooky witch woman who lived in a gingerbread house in Croatoa. Should I eat this?"

"Yes," said Cherry and Regina.

"You sounded a bit too eager on that. I'm not going to eat it now."

"Hey Gina," said Kayain. "What did you get today?"

"A slew of odd looks. The other women thought I was crazy."

"But you are."

"Yea but I don't want _them_ to know that."

"This is no good," said Kayain as he stole Cherry's entire plate. "We can't do this without the help of the volunteers."

"Maybe you're just not asking the right heroines," said Cherry trying to be encouraging. "Try asking the ones that wear a tiny bikini as their outfit."

"No, I tried," he said. "Apparently they have standards… whatever that may be."

"How about exotic dancers?"

"Nope," said Proto-man. "That was my first stop. They want lots of cash for it."

Cherry tried to think of any other loose women that might be interested.

"Red-light district?"

"Tried it," said Proto-man. "They wanted even more money then the usual rates."

"Bars?"

"I went there last night," said Regina. "You should have seen the faces of the guys when I was asking the questions. I was invited several times to the mud wrestling competitions."

"And you said _NO_?!" said Proto-man scandalized.

"Well I don't know where else you'd find some loose super powered women who are willing to do things like what you're asking," said Cherry.

"Babe," said Kayain. "They don't _have_ to be loose women, ok? They can be good… upstanding citizens…"

"Right," said Cherry. "'Cause we all know good women with high morals are the ones flashing people, like the ones in your hidden stash of movies."

"Hey, there's that cheerful sarcasm again. Maybe if-"

"I know!" said Proto-man as he turned to Kayain. "If we can't find anyone… maybe your seester will!"

"Oh God, no…" said Kayain. "No, no, no, no, no. The last thing I want is to have to stare at my own sister's-"

"Good morning everyone!" said Diana as she came skipping in. "Everyone get enough breakfast?"

"Oops," said Proto-man. "I dropped my plate… Ow, my back!"

"Oh, don't worry about it," said Diana cheerfully. "Let me pick that up for you."

Proto-man grinned.

"OK! That's enough!" said Kayain. "I'll pick it up for you," he said as he bent over slowly in for Proto-man.

Proto-man grumbled and turned away.

"Hey," said Regina. "Where did Talley go? We were supposed to all meet up today."

"I don't know," said Kayain. "Last night he walked Celeste home and I haven't heard from him since… What? What's with that face Proto?"

"Ah, heh, heh," said Proto-man. "I think he's found the wilds of Celeste by now."

While the others chatted, the Phone rang. Diana picked it up and said," Yello!"

"Hello, is this the Thomas residence?" said a raspy voice on the phone.

"Yes, but who may I ask is speaking?"

There was a pause before he said," Henry Chalmer, of D.A.T.A. I'm looking for Tylar."

"Tylar? I thought he was over there at D.A.T.A. already?"

"We are calling from the arena. We need him to… answer a few questions."

"Call him at the D.A.T.A. office. He's sure to be there."

"We will… and say, who am I speaking to right now?"

"Me? I'm Diana."

"Oh, we've heard much about you from your brother. You're quite the hero."

"Golly! I didn't know Tylar talked about me like that! Guess I should say thanks."

"Yes, and we were wondering if you would like to participate in the Arena. We would personally like to see your power in action."

"Really? Well I was planning on going there anyway because Tylar wanted me to try it out. So I probably will go sometime."

"Excellent…" he said, very oddly.

"Sir?"

"Excuse me, I've got a cold…"

"Oh, sorry to hear that. Well like I said before, go call D.A.T.A. and you'll find Tylar."

Diana hung up and rejoined the rest of them in their interesting conversation.

"And I say," said Kayain. "That we need to try more advertising at places that we wouldn't normally expect… Gina, you take the Day cares. Super Heroines are bound to have some brats that they need watchin'. Proto, you take the Church. I know someone there is praying for a miracle. And I'll take it to the newspaper. We'll get some ads going and we're sure to find someone."

Cherry's instincts told her something was needed at this point. She said," And I'll go pack my bags."

"Pack your bags?"

"For when all the Heroines run us out of town."

"Oh ye, of little faith," said Proto-man. "I'll be at the church, making sure we've got some devout hunnies for our worthy, nonprofit, and charitable cause. I'll make up some story saying we're also feeding the poor or something. And it's funny because I threw some homeless looking people into a river… One of them had a TV on his head too."

Kayain gets a message on his communicator saying," _This is Danyel, someone come in_."

"Dan," said Kayain. "What's goin' on dude?"

"_Where is Cherry? She doesn't have her communicator on_."

"Right here pal. She's completely naked by the way."

"Give me that!" said Cherry. "Danyel, what's up?"

"_Hey sis, I'm going to need your help here for something_."

"What is it?"

"_Well, I'm investigating something very serious going on, and I need your help going into someone's mind_."

"Can't this person not talk?"

"_He was driven insane, so no. He's unable to stop babbling. I just really need your help for this, it's very important_."

Cherry hesitated a moment. She didn't typically like to go inside someone's mind, let alone someone insane. Lesser psions, if they didn't know what they were doing could delve into someone's mind and get pulled in so to speak. If you weren't careful, you could end up taking over unintentionally. Or you could end up destroying the mind completely, along with your own mind as well.

"How important?"

"_End of the world important_."

"Is that all?"

"_Ok, fine. End of existence as we know it_."

"That's more like it. I suppose I can help out, but existence owes me a favor."

----------------------------------------------

Akarist was bound and unable to draw from his power. He walked down the long hallways shackled with chains on his arms. He knew he was headed for something extremely unpleasant, but the wait, he felt, was much worse.

They brought him to a damp and dark area, filled with many magical barriers. This was a place they stored their prisoners that they used for ritualistic torture, or sacrifices. The jail was full of the lost souls of the tormented victims, and Akarist could feel the presence of each one.

A sting of guilt hit him on his way deeper into the jail. He remembered a time where he once participated in such evil deeds.

No more though. He turned his back on the Circle of Thorns because he knew that everything they thought they knew was a lie. Akarist began to feel his humanity coming back to him, and he began to feel alive once again.

There were some things he could never forgive himself for doing, yet he works every day to redeem himself, not only in his eyes, but in humanity's eyes.

The guards brought him before a mage whom he knew the name of.

"Azmos," said Akarist. "I didn't realize you were in town again. I wish I could say it's good to see an old acquaintance, but instead it feels nauseating."

"Akarist, you old fool," said Azmos. "Did you really think we had forgotten about you?"

"I was hoping that, yes."

"You know we do not forget, and we do not forgive. What you have done against us is inexcusable, and today you will pay for your trespasses."

"So what's in store for today? Crystal of torment? Netherworld grasp? Or the old fashioned way with knives and other crude instruments?"

"Nothing of that sort today… no, no, what I had in mind was much more… fitting, for someone such as yourself."

"Yes, you always were good at this. Our old mentor Ma'valick did favor your methods of torture."

"You flatter me. But it will get you nowhere, because today you help us, oh yes! You will help us in what we need to do. Otherwise, there will be… consequences."

Akarist knew there was no negotiating with them. He knew how to negotiate with other kinds of spirits who had nothing personal against him but a contract, but these mages were usually the ones assigning the contract.

"I won't help you, no matter what. Whatever you've managed to foul up, it's your own mess," said Akarist.

"Oh I know you Akarist. No matter what we do to that feeble body of yours you won't ever do as we tell you."

"Good, then we have that out of the way. Why don't you just get my torture out of the way as well?"

"Your torture? Oh, no, no, no. I had something much more disturbing in mind."

Azmos snapped his fingers and had Akarist dragged with him to a deeper and darker holding area. They stopped in front of a room crowded with some of the filthiest looking men he'd ever seen.

Each one was big and burly, with either a visible scar on their face, or a missing body part on each. Dressed in torn rags, they looked not only burly, they also looked extremely intimidating.

"These men you see here were former prisoners. Murderers, Rapists, Thieves… very nasty lot aren't they? They were on death row before we busted them out… And now they are _still_ destined to die, but for our glory!"

"How thoughtful…" said Akarist as he looked toward the floor.

"Oh, but that's not all! My kindness extends beyond that. You see, their happiness depends completely on you, should you help us or not."

Akarist didn't like where this was going, but he asked anyway," What are you talking about?"

"Bring in the new prisoner," said Azmos to one of the guards.

Moments later, the guard dragged in a young lady tied up by the hands and feet. Akarist recognized her to be," Sarchissia!"

"Yes," said Azmos. "We found this young one in your residence. She's somewhat of a mystic in training I believe."

"Akarist!" she said. "Please! Help!"

"I-I can't, young one… I'm unable to use my powers…"

The guards brought her right in front of the magical barrier placed on the cell to act as a door.

The criminals inside began to smile lecherously at her, some made vulgar comments, while some made vile promises to her.

"Dear spirits, no," said Akarist. "You can't! She's only fourteen! She's still a child! You-"

"My friends," said Azmos to the criminals. "This mage you see here is named Akarist. He alone will decide the fate of this young, nubile, virgin you see before you. If he chooses to resist us, then the girl is yours-" This was followed by hooting and hollering. "Should he cooperate, you will simply have to wait until our task is done."

Akarist slumped a bit. He hated this feeling of defeat, but he knew what would happen to this poor innocent girl if he refused. It was one thing to resist torture, but he had found sorrow in watching the torment of others.

"And," said Azmos. "If you do not cooperate, I will place you here to watch them commit every deed to her until you say yes. I was able to capture many more young lady apprentices, so this one is not my only one if need be. I will toss another in _daily_ until you break. What say you?"

He looked up into the face of Sarchissia and was socked. There was tears running down her face, but in her eyes, he saw courage. She said," Don't do it. Please."

"I-I don't know," said Akarist.

"You don't know?!" said Azmos. "This girl is about to be brutalized beyond belief and all you can think about is your grudge against us? This is selfish thinking Akarist. And you call yourself a hero?"

"I said I don't know. I can't make this decision… Dear spirits, don't do this."

"You _can_ and _will_ make this decision! And you'll make it in five seconds or she's going in!"

The criminals laughed and jeered at Akarist.

"One…"

All he could think about is Sarchissia's safety.

"Two…"

He heard the vile words of the criminals as they pressed against the barrier.

"Three…"

He began to sweat. Nothing had prepared him for this.

"Four…"

Sarchissia had been studying with him since he first joined M.A.G.I. She was so spirited, it made him happy to see someone with that much zest for life.

"FIVE! Guards!"

She was thrown in.

Instantly he heard her screams as the wicked men tore at her. One of them broke her arm for trying to scratch him, making her cry out in pain.

Akarist had never considered himself to be as strong as most heroes. In fact he still hadn't made amends with his past. But if he could do one thing to redeem himself, saving this girl's life was one thing to help.

"NO! STOP!" said Akarist.

Azmos snapped his fingers, and she magically flew out. The criminals laughed and hissed at Akarist as he dropped to his knees.

"Don't do it… Forgive me Sarchissia. I won't be responsible for your death… I'll do what you ask, just please don't hurt her."

"Giving up so soon?" said Azmos "I've heard stories of the great Akarist resisting all kinds of tortures. But when it comes to this, well, I think I've found your Achilles Heel."

"Just tell me what needs to be done… but the girl stays with me."

"How pathetic. So be it. Guards! Take them to the summoning hall."

----------------------------------------------

"Well sis, what do you think?" said Danyel.

Cherry looked at King Thunder who was babbling," Coming. It's coming. No, no, no, no… All my fault… all my… no, no, AHHHHHH!!"

Cherry's abilities, to a degree, can help with maladies of the mind. She was able to help torture victims escape their psychosis, and lead a fairly normal life. Many things were beyond even her ability, but she spent a great deal of time trying to help as she could.

"I'm sure I can tap into his mind," said Cherry. "Not going to be easy, so be prepared to pull me back if you think anything's wrong."

"I will. Just find me information on what went on yesterday, and I'd like to see some details on what the demon looked like."

Cherry popped her fingers and said," Close the door please. I don't want anyone coming in and thinking we're trying to hurt him."

After Danyel closed the door, Cherry closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing. She placed her hands on King Thunder's head, and at the same time, they both gasped.

King Thunder shuddered, and his eyes rolled back as Cherry kept her hands on his crown. He tilted his head back and opened his mouth, looking like a silent scream.

Azuria said," Danyel? Is this normal?"

"Yea, she's a pro at this. It may look disturbing, but he's not feeling a thing."

Cherry let go, and King Thunder toppled to the floor unconscious. Cherry blinked and her eyes went back to normal.

"He's asleep," said Cherry as she levitated King Thunder back to his bed.

"So?" said Danyel.

Cherry shook her head and said," See for yourself."

She put her hands on Danyel's forehead, and both of them went into a trance. Seconds later, she let go and they both returned, Danyel looking very upset.

"This is not good… not good at all," he said.

Cadao said," Can you tell us what you have seen?"

"Here's a breakdown of what I saw; First off, this guy summoned a demon. Unfortunately, like I thought, it was unbound and unnamed. Demons tend to have this little thing called immortality… so basically we can't kill it, and it's loose on our world."

"I see," said Cadao. "This is very grave news Wizard Danyel."

"Next thing, before he was inflicted with insanity by the demon, he managed to see a group of mages come in. Dressed in robes, and some had spines protruding from their bodies. They all had glowing, smoky eyes, and they looked… well dead."

"The Circle of Thorns," said Azuria. "The world's most dangerous group of dark wizards. The reason they look dead is because in fact they really did die long ago. They steal mortal bodies to remain in this world."

"Ah, yes. I have run into them a few times. Attacked me on sight. Well they learned not to mess with a High Archmage quickly."

"Is there anything else that can help?" asked Cadao.

"Yes. I studied the runes on the book from his visual memory, and he summoned an envoy, if you will. A messenger from Hell, sent to make deals and dark promises to the living."

Cherry looked at this conversation as a ping pong observer watches the ball. She felt she had no place in this and said," Ok well, anything I can do?"

"I'm getting paged," said Cadao. "Excuse me."

"That will be very dangerous for the world," said Azuria. "If this Envoy is allowed to make deals with the Circle of Thorns. I've heard of a time long ago when such an event took place. Ancient times, but Cadao may know more than I about that."

"So… anything at all?" said Cherry.

"That may be useful," said Danyel. "Anything at this point could help us banish this demon back to Hell where it belongs. I'll need to know everything about it's past and figure out who it is, and how they got rid of it back then."

"No!" said Cadao as he talked on his cell phone. He said to them," Azuria, Akarist has been kidnapped by the Circle of Thorns!"

"That isn't good right?" said Cherry.

"How? When?" said Azuria.

"Hold on," said Cadao as he continued to listen on his phone. "He said it was last night sometime. They're not exactly sure on the time yet, but Akarist was kidnapped along with several students in the Library."

"Oh, no," said Azuria. "This is horrible!"

Cadao hung up and said," Wizard Danyel, may I ask something of you?"

"Yes, I'll help you find the lost people," said Danyel.

"What about me?" said Cherry.

"Please," said Cadao as he put a hand on Danyel's shoulder. "They kidnapped the young ones, and Akarist is a well respected mage. We owe him so much for everything he's done for us. The Circle will more than likely torture him to death. And the young ones… I don't even want to think about it."

"Don't worry," said Danyel. "I'll find them, and make those bastards pay."

"So, I'll be going to get some coffee, anyone want some?" said Cherry.

"Akarist holds much knowledge, he has been alive since the times of the Oranbega and Mu."

"Anyone? Any takers?" said Cherry.

"Thank you Wizard Danyel," said Azuria. "We appreciate this."

"Well _I_ sure don't!" said Cherry. "As a matter of fact, I don't appreciate being ignored!"

"I'll get right on it," said Danyel.

"Let me help you find him," said Cadao.

Cherry clenched her fists and yelled," MAGIC SUCKS!"

She stormed out the door and slammed it. The three of them stood in silence for a moment.

"Well," said Azuria. "That was a bit rude of her don't you think?"

----------------------------------------------

Tylar and his friends from D.A.T.A. were in the Arena's back room huddled around the table grinning like idiots.

"Oh damn," said Smith. "That is sooo hot."

"Look at the size of those…" said Bennit. "Are those for real?"

"I say," said Tylar. "This is, how does my brother say it? 'So good you'll cream yourself' I believe. Yes that's what I call this."

"Nya, I couldn't have said it better myself," said Jared.

Lilly walks in and says," Hey guys, what's up?"

"Heh, heh," said Smith. "I'd like to get me some of that…"

"Oh, nothing," said Tylar.

"Whatcha got there?" said Lilly. "Oh, I see what's going on… someone's got a new dirty magazine," she said grinning at them.

"Ha!" said Jared. "Even better than that, nya! This month's tech magazine. Nya, we got it earlier as a gift for the work on the Arena."

He flashes a picture of the latest in the top of the line processors to her, and she grins broadly.

"Oh my!" she said as she took a shot of her inhaler. "That's sooo hot!"

"And look at the size of those monitors," said Tylar. "Just thinking about them makes my glasses fog up."

"The size of those _what_?" said Diana as she entered the room. "Are you guys staring at pictures of naked women?"

"Even better," said Bennit still looking at the magazine. "Check out these barebones kits!"

"Oh…" said Diana. "Well I _thought_ it smelled particularly nerdy in here."

"And what are you doing here?" said Tylar.

"You weren't at D.A.T.A., and I wanted to give your new arena a test run. So I came all the way over."

The nerds finally got a good look at Diana, and immediately went into what's called Nerd Reclusive mode. It's a natural defense mechanism in most nerds that causes profuse sweating, stuttering, forgetfulness, and at sometimes chronic shyness. This defensive mechanism was originally evolved in nerds as a ward for bullies. If the body would produce enough sweat, it would make them undesirable to touch. On the other hand, this was a double edged sword as it also prevented any chances at mating.

"Ahhh, doh, huh huh…"

"Gawrsh…"

"Nya, heh, heh."

"Oh come on!" said Tylar. "It's just my sister."

"Nya, heh, heh- Err What?! Sister?!"

"Oh!" said Smith. "Sister? How'd _that_ happen?"

Diana was wearing the skin tight jump suit that Tylar could swear was a size too small now that he looked at it.

He also didn't _want_ to look at it the way she wore it.

"Di… I meant to tell you but you're supposed to wear clothes over that."

"Na, these are fine."

"Gawrsh…"

"Hey! Stop drooling!" said Tylar.

"Nya, hey, Tylar… Your sister looks nothing like in the comic."

"Kayain lied. This is how she really looks."

"Ok, I think I missed something somewhere," said Diana.

"You're a lot taller than I imagined," said Lilly.

"Err, thanks I guess…" said Diana. "So, about that Arena match, can you guys hook me up instead of having to wait in line?"

"Well, the teleport system is getting worked on at the moment, so we're not issuing matches until they fix the bug out. Apparently someone was teleported to the roof this morning," said Tylar.

"Oh. Then can you get me a match when it's done?"

"I don't know, I-"

"Sure you can, Nya…" said Jared as he was fiddling with his feet, bashfully.

"Thank you sir!" she said coming closer to him. "That's so sweet of you!"

Jared stepped back, turning the color of a tomato, and dripping sweat. He kept his eyes downward with a smile on his face. He put his hands behind his back and said," Nya, heh, it's, uh, nothing really…"

Tylar rolled his eyes and said," Good Lord, what's taking those guys so long?"

----------------------------------------------

The teleport technician crew worked as fast as they could trying to get the teleport system to go to the right place.

"All right lads," said the Foreman. "I think this should do it. Get the test dummies."

An engineer brought a pair of crash dummies and placed them on the telepad. They were instantly teleported to the inside of the arena.

"Check them," said the Foreman.

Two engineers went inside the arena to see if the dummies were not disfigured. Not that that should ever be a problem, but the foreman believed in safety first.

"All good boss," said one on his radio.

"Good. Come on out then, We're going to live test it."

When the foreman turned around he nearly jumped out of his skin. A group of scientist had somehow entered the room and were just inches behind him.

"Greetings," said one with a raspy voice. "Are you the Foreman?"

"Yea, crap, you scared the bejesus out of me!"

"Mister Foreman, there has been a slight change of plans. We will need to take a look at this device."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute," said the Foreman. "I got orders from the bigwigs to fix this, and you ain't one of their messenger boys. In fact, I've never seen you before, so let's see some ID."

"We do not require ID sir. You will comply or face the consequences."

"Oh yea? Look poindexter, I don't need your kind coming over here and telling me and my crew what to do. So you take your sorry ass somewhere else."

"So be it."

The scientist's eyes began to glow like he was possessed. Fire accumulated in his hands and he hurled a ball of fire at the Foreman. The Foreman dodged it, only by a little.

The other possessed scientists threw fire, lightning, or ice at the other engineers. Unfortunately they were not as quick as the Foreman, and some were burned alive, and some were frozen solid.

The Foreman pulled a few tools from his belt and tossed them expertly at the scientists. A screwdriver stuck into one's head like a thrown knife would have, and a mallet cracked the skull of another.

The scientists turned their attention to him, and began to attack him. He was surprisingly good at dodging, and they were frustrated as he dodged them and sent metal pipes flying at them.

The Foreman dropped all but one scientist. The Foreman sneered and said," Circle of Thorns I presume. I remember those glowing eyes. You're going down you disgusting freak."

The scientist merely smiled and pointed behind the Foreman. But even he could sense something behind him. Something big.

He slowly turned around and looked up into the face of a frighteningly tall winged demon, snarling at him.

----------------------------------------------

"Well," said Tylar. "They just called and gave the OK on the teleport system. Live testing and everything is done. Please inform Positron to give the go ahead order at the gates."

"Oh! And me?" asked Diana.

"Yes, yes, of course. You'll get a shot right now. If Mister McCulley can focus for a few moments he can take you inside."

"Nya, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm perfectly fine-"

Diana pranced over to him, as he stared shamelessly at her bouncing boobs.

"Nya… heh, heh. T-this way…"

----------------------------------------------

If one could see Positron's face at the moment, he would look very tired and harassed. The arena concept had taken Paragon city by storm. Many a super hero came from all around Paragon City to get a chance to test out this new one hundred percent safe way to fight their fellow heroes.

Poor Positron had made the mistake in being the chaperone so to speak on who gets what kind of matches to test things out. And with the diverse amount of super powered people involved, things had been hectic to say the least.

"Here's what I want," said Positron. "You, you and you on that terminal. Next, I want the four of you to get on that one for a free for all… What? Oh, you're a team. Ok well get that one against those guys. And you! No fires in the lobby, wait till you get inside… Oh no! Please don't do that on the carpet sir, we just had it shampooed!"

A scientist approached him and said," Mister Positron, the telepads are good to go. You can start now."

"All right then," said Positron. "I want everyone on the emerald side to begin, as well as the amber side. Get me the two supergroups in ruby who are going to have the supergroup rumble, and- Damn it, I thought I told you to stop doing that on the carpet sir!"

Another scientist approaches him and says," Mister Positron? We just wanted to inform you that the teleport system is ready."

"I know, you already said that."

"Wait… we were the ones supposed to tell you. Did someone else come here?"

"Yes, and- Oh, that's just _wrong_ sir…"

"I can see you're busy so I'll just be going now."

----------------------------------------------

"Here we are," said Jared. "Nya, this is your terminal."

"Mine? All mine?"

"Well it belongs to us really, but you get to use it."

"Oh… how do I use it?"

"Nya, it's simple. Just enter how many people are going to fight, and if it's going to be a team up. Then pick the teams, nya, and when you're ready, press go here. Everyone in your arena match will then immediately be sent to the virtual arena zone."

"What's this button do?"

"I don't know but don't press-"

When Diana pressed it Jared was instantly teleported somewhere.

"Jared? Where'd you go?"

----------------------------------------------

Jared looked around and found himself in a very large and open cavern. He looked to one side and saw about thirty to forty costume clad heroes charging at him.

To the other side he saw another equally large amount of spandex heading his way as well.

It only took him moments to realize he had somehow gotten thrown into the scheduled super group vs super group fight. And he was also standing on ground zero.

But Jared was a fast thinker. He quickly got into his defensive stance, which strongly resembled a fetal position, while sucking his thumb.

----------------------------------------------

Diana shrugged and looked for some competition.

"Excuse me! You want to join me? No? Ok, maybe next time… Oh! How about you? No? Ok… What about you guys? No? Oh… Why is it so hard to find people to do this?"

"Hello," said someone from behind. "Were you looking for a match?"

"Yes I would," she said, turning around. "Whoa, you're big, and on fire."

The man she was looking at was indeed very tall. Even she only reached up to his torso in height. He also had two very large horns on his head, which Diana couldn't tell if it was his or on some kind of helmet, because his costume was shrouded and covered what his face looked like.

"Thank you. Now would you care to join us?"

"Sure! Say, did you know you had horns on your head?"

"Yes…"

"Just making sure. I'm Diana, what's your name?"

"Horn Head."

"That's pretty straightforward. I mean naming yourself after your most prominent feature. If I did that I'd be Giga Bre-"

"Hello," said someone else. "I need another person on my team, would you be so kind?"

"Sure," said Diana. "Who's on our team?"

"So far it's me, and Horn Head. This will be a three on three match. My name is Lady Darkness, pleased to meet you."

"Hey, I remember seeing you at the Rikti Crash site!" said Diana.

"Oh, yes. I do remember you now," said Lady Darkness. "Well then since we're all acquainted, let's see the opposing team."

They see the three approaching members.

"Wolf's Fang," said one in spandex. "Damn pleased to meet you."

"Vulker," said one wearing a fedora hat. He tipped it and said," A pleasure."

"I am… The Sodomizer!" said one with a very odd polka dotted cape.

"The what?!" said Lady Darkness.

"I am The Sodomizer! I penetrate evil from it's unprotected rear!"

"Don't let them catch you saying that," said Wolf's Fang. "You know Freedom Corps. banned your name."

"Yea I know," said Sodomizer. "But Generichero118 sounds so… ARRG I hate them! How the hell is that supposed to strike fear in the asses of our enemies?"

"And clowns," added Diana.

"Yes," he said. "Finally, someone who understands me!"

Vulker smiled and said," It was a random team pick I assure you."

Lady Darkness messed with a few knobs on the terminal. She said," Ok I have this set. Everyone gather around, and we'll get started."

The countdown timer ticked to zero, and they felt a sensation over them as they were teleported to the inside of the arena.

The inside resembled a large hull area for a ship. It was not nearly as long in width as it was in length. The three of them teleported to one end of the ship, while the other team was at the other end.

Diana said," Man that was cool! That never gets old."

"I don't know," said Horn Head. "It felt very weird teleporting like that."

"I agree. It felt very odd. I have teleported before, and that was not the same."

"Well in any case there they are," said Diana.

"All right," called out Vulker. "We're ready."

"Ok," said Lady Darkness. "I can heal injuries. I believe it works out here too."

"I'll cover you Lady," said Horn Head.

"And I'll do the damage!" said Diana.

"We're ready," said Lady Darkness.

"Let's go!" said Vulker.

For those watching the event, expecting a very dramatic clash of these titans, was sorely disappointed. As they charged each other, Vulker, Wolf's Fang, and Sodomizer all saw the other three begin to fade, as they ran. Before they clashed, all three vanished without a trace.

"Did they go invisible?" said Sodomizer.

"I'm not sensing them anymore," said Wolf's Fang.

"Great," said Vulker. "Must be a teleport glitch again. We'll have to report this…"

"Yea," said Sodomizer.

"Mmm, mhm…" said Wolf's Fang.

"So, what now?"

"Well, we're here already. Seems like such a waste not to do something…"

They all smiled.

"Free for all?" said Sodomizer.

"Looser buys a round beer," said Wolf's Fang.

"In that case, I hope you boys brought your wallets," said Vulker.

----------------------------------------------

Diana felt as if some kind of hook had gotten around her midsection and violently pulled her somewhere. She knew she was standing, but she didn't know how.

She blinked her eyes open, and looked around. She found herself inside a large glass sphere, and unable to move. She was alone in some kind of lab area, with a viewing room uptop so people could see what goes on down below.

She heard voices somewhere behind her saying," And the other two?"

"Put them in the holding cell. They will be the perfect sacrifices for the Envoy."

Diana didn't like the sound of that. She tried moving, but found it very hard. She knew this feeling, and knew it was some kind of gravity effect. People who go into space have to have Zero G. and High G. training.

"Look, she's awake," she heard the voice say. "Get Azmos, and increase the gravity system slightly. She's still able to move."

Diana saw a scientist with green glowing eyes pass by her, and felt the gravity increase even more to where she fell down and stuck to the ground.

"H-hel-p…" she tried to say, but the gravity was so intense it was a struggle to breathe properly.

"Welcome Chosen," said another scientist with eyes glowing green. "You who possess the ultimate power, the conduit who will bring to us complete domination over the world."

Diana was unable to respond. She tried hard to use her power, but this gravity well was not magical, so she could not absorb its energy.

Shortly after, a tall mage entered the room. She knew he was a mage by the way he was dressed; Robe, goofy hat, glowing green eyes, and for some reason spikes protruding from his skin.

"Ah, very good. You are awake Chosen. Welcome. I assume you'd like to know why you're here, yes?"

She didn't respond.

"The reason is simple. You will serve as a host to our master Lilitu. I'm afraid you have no say in this either. It was prophesized to us of your arrival, and your unique ability. You have a gift that is beyond even your simple understanding. A power so great, only we can harness it to it's full potential."

She tried desperately to move and talk.

"Oh, it seems as though you're stuck. Gentlemen, please reverse the gravity and keep her in the center."

A scientist turned a few knobs on a panel nearby, and Diana was lifted up to the center of the sphere, floating helplessly.

"Who are you people? And where are my buddies?"

"Your friends are safe at the moment, but they will be part of a special ceremony that our special guest requires. I am Azmos, steward of the dark one Lilitu. It is my greatest honor to offer you as a sacrifice to my mistress."

"Sacrifice?! No, you can't do that! My husband will find you and beat you up good!"

"Husband?! You took a husband?"

"Yea, he's my husband and I love him! And when he gets mad, you don't wanna cross him!"

"This can't be right…" said Azmos more to himself. "The prophecy says the Chosen will be a virgin…"

"Ha! Looks like you got it all wrong. I lost my virginity on that oh so romantic night… Danyel and I were like-"

"Silence woman! No matter, we can still perform the ritual, virgin or not. Lilitu will have your body one way or another."

"That sounds gross," said Diana. "I'm not done with this body you know."

"It matters not. She will posses it. And with your powers, it will make her the most powerful being alive!"

"And another thing," said Diana as she struggled a bit. "I know a lot about my powers, and no one but me can use them. My powers only work if I want them to, so too bad for you."

A group of mages entered the room and began to gather in a circle around her.

"We will _make_ you use them. You won't be able to fight us forever."

"Watch me!"

At that moment, a large silhouette of a humanoid figure appeared from the shadows. The figure had very long wings and glowing yellow eyes.

"Ah, you're here," said Azmos not looking up.

"As promised," it said. "I have delivered the woman to you for the revival of Lilitu. My part of the bargain was upheld, now you must complete yours."

"Yes, of course. Once Lilitu is here, we will give you the sacrifices you demand. Then the _real_ negotiations begin."

----------------------------------------------

The hero Infernal of the group known as the Vindicators suddenly came out of a heavy meditation in a start.

His partner Numia heard his awakening and came to see him.

"Infernal, are you ok?"

"Numia," he said, turning to her. "Did you feel that just now?"

"I believe I felt something. Something of a disturbance."

Infernal stood up and overlooked the dark cellar-like room full of arcane equipment, bookshelves, and of course, cobwebs.

"I felt… A presence I have not felt in a long time. Very familiar. I hope it's not what I think it is Numia."

"Shall I look into this?"

"Please," he said. "I need to know. I need to know if this isn't what I think it is… I hope and pray it isn't though."

"What shall I look for then?"

"Mother…" he said quietly.

"Pardon?"

"Lilitu," he said to her. "A vile demon bent on reviving the elder gods."

"Lilitu you say?" said Numia. "I believe I can search for that one as long as I have the true name."

"That is her true name, but this one is different. She uses possession until she finds something that can stabilize her."

"I will look for you… Where are you going?"

"I need to know for sure. If you can get a confirmation on this, please tell me. I will do what I can to find out."

----------------------------------------------

Cherry came back home and slumped on the couch. She turned on the television and watched the news and all the super powered incidents today.

_I've got nothing else better to do at the moment_, she thought. _Kayain and his merry band of idiots have an unhealthy career at the moment, Lu Bu and Biggs are out preaching, which in other words, getting tanked. Ami is reclusive and is probably busy reading. Solo is with Tylar helping him with the arena, and Kat is… in his own little world._

Cherry realized that everyone had taken up a hobby except her. There wasn't much to Psionics besides meditation and self-growth… Although she admitted the whole self-growth part wasn't working out so well for her.

She was bored. She wasn't as good as Tylar at technology, nor as good as Danyel at Magic, so she never bothered them. But at least she would have Kayain, Lu Bu, or Biggs to kick around when she didn't have anything to do.

But now even Kayain had a job to do, even if she thought it was just completely silly.

After a while of watching the reporters drone on about pretty much the same thing day after day, she began to doze off to sleep.

----------------------------------------------

Cherry dreamt of many strange things; an ability to fly for starters. Psychic flight was not something she studied, but she dreamed of it anyway.

Her next dream flashed to her being taller than Kayain and taking away his Vindicator weapon and pounding him on the head with the flat of the blade. She wasn't sure of what this meant, but she enjoyed bopping him on the head all the same.

This brought her to another thought that triggered a memory, the memory of the worst day in her life.

Cherry sat down on Kayain's bed clutching her necklace she made. She wondered if she could really go through with this. Sure she knew there'd be the jeers from everyone she knew about her actually caring for the big lug, but she was willing to endure that.

The question was,' Is she prepared to make a move?' Kayain would never realize it because he was dumber then a crate of anvils.

'Why this day though?' she wondered. 'Why not any other day?'

Timing, she realized. Timing was everything. You never went up to the object of your affection and said,' Hey, catch the game last night? Good stuff hua? My bet was on the Tigers, and I won a hundred credits. I love you by the way, go out with me.'

Another thought that crossed her mind was that since they've been friends for so very long, what would be his reaction? Would he freak out, or not say anything? Would he say yes, and have things get weird?

All these thoughts crossed her mind as she got up and paced. She tried to think of what exactly she would say in order for him not to freak out.

She looks at the necklace and sighs. At that moment, Kayain bursts into the room looking seriously distressed.

"Cherry!" he said as he strode towards her. "What the hell are you doing here?"

She quickly hides the necklace behind her back and blushes as she says, flustered," I was… uh… looking for you Kayain."

"Looking for me? Then you already know?"

"Well no, I just-"

"You haven't? Then what the hell are you doing in my room?"

She didn't have a response for that. He seemed so, desperate at the moment that she became curious as to what he was talking about.

"Oh look, it doesn't matter. Cherry, we have a problem! Someone's kidnapped Leda!"

"What?!"

"She's been kidnapped! Remember we heard the Quantum Syndicate was in town? I'm willing to bet money it was them."

"No… Why now?!"

"I don't know, but they did leave this ransom note."

Cherry read the note. It said for them to exchange Cherry for Leda's life. Should they not comply to meet them in the specific location in the next 3 hours, she was as good as dead.

"They want me for my bounty," said Cherry. "And they know we're all very close to Leda."

"What are we going to do?"

"Ok, don't panic. We'll-" Cherry stopped dead. She caught sight of what was dangling in his other hand.

Leda's necklace.

"Cherry?"

"W-we'll, get the team together. I'll, uh… form a plan…"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just gather everyone and I'll have a plan."

Cherry remembers the plan she made, it was a good one for being so distracted at the necklace. It turned out to be quite a magic show, but like all parlor magic, it was all smoke in mirrors.

The plan was simple, it was a bait and switch using simple tricks, readily available. Cherry was good at making her enemies think they knew what she was thinking. Something they ended up regretting later.

She remembers going to a sports arena, and waiting on the grassy field in the open with Kayain.

Kayain fidgets a bit and says," This is so not right."

"But it won't fail."

"I know but-"

The stadium lights turned on, and shone brightly on them. They heard a voice on the large speakers say," I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't come Vigilantes. Have you come alone as I asked."

"Crimson," said Cherry. "I should have known. You've been after us for years… But I can't believe you'd stoop this low."

"Come now. You and your entire team are extremely difficult to catch. I just so happened to stumble across this little gem, and had to take the opportunity."

"How did you know who she was?" asked Kayain.

"Our eyes are everywhere. As I hear it, this woman is the object of your affection Mister Thomas."

Kayain sneered, and Cherry frowned.

"We've done as you've asked," said Cherry. "Now where's Leda?"

"The girl? She's right here," Crimson said, as two other thugs carried her into view. "I trust you will cooperate with us, lest this woman suffer an unnecessary end."

"Yea," said Kayain "We will, just don't hurt her!"

"Good, that's what I like to hear… only, I believe you lied to us."

"What do you mean?" said Kayain.

"Boys!" he said as he snapped his fingers.

A bunch of thugs come out from all directions. Each thug has a large gun pointed at the back of the heads of several Vigilante members.

"Trying to pull some kind of sneak attack? Rather stupid if you ask me. I've still got my men searching the area for any more surprises."

"No…" said Cherry.

"I'm afraid so. Now if you don't mind I'd like to get the show on the road. Miss Martinez, you're coming with me… but first," he said as he tossed her a tiara looking headpiece. "Put that on. I don't need you messing with my head any."

Cherry just looked at it.

"Go on now. If you don't this little vixen dies right here and now."

"Fine," said Cherry. "I'll put it on."

Cherry puts the tiara on and frowns.

"There's a good girl," says Crimson as he and his cronies walk down toward the field.

"Wait," said Cherry. "I won't go unless you let my team go. I'm the one you want, not them."

"Oh yes, of coooourse," he said as insincerely as possible. "Once you give yourself up they will be free to leave… maybe after we rough em up a bit."

Cherry grimaced.

"But rest assured, they'll still be alive after we're done."

"You're a bastard," she said.

"I know. Now I want you to walk over here, and Miss Leda will walk over there, on the count of three… One."

"You ready Kayain?" whispered Cherry.

"Ready as ever."

"Two…"

"You know what to do then."

"Three!"

The two walked toward each other in a very tense silence. When the two were about to cross paths, there was a sudden loud click noise.

Cherry and Kayain looked around, and Crimson smiled.

A trapdoor, normally used for maintenance, opened suddenly underneath both of the two women. They both fell helplessly into it as Kayain ran to the hole.

"Not so fast Vindicator!" said Crimson. "Did you really think we'd let you go that easily? We've got the lot of you here, and you're all worth plenty more together then just your leader alone. Men! Lock the doors!"

"You rotten bastard!" said Kayain. "You sealed your own men in to suffer my wrath."

"What did you say?"

The thug nearby Crimson twitched, and began to act erratically. He panicked and began to hit the guys next to him. Seconds later, it turned into a free for all brawl, with Crimson running down as fast as possible to get away.

"Kill them!" he said as he ran to the stairway that leads to the trapdoor area. "Kill them all!"

The thugs guarding the Vigilante members shot all them down to a man. Seconds later, the bodies began to turn into a dark purple gelatinous form, and melt away.

"They're not real!" said one. "It's a trick!"

The men turned to run back inside, but the doors were now locked from the other side as well.

Kayain began to run after Crimson.

Meanwhile, outside the stadium, Vigilante members were at the ready with mortars loaded with firebombs.

"I hear gunfire. That's the signal," said Danyel. "Let em have it."

Several members of the Vigilantes held the doors shut on the other side while the rest fired into the open stadium.

Danyel's magical firebombs explode with napalm, and do no damage to Kayain, Cherry, or Leda. Danyel cupped an ear as he heard the yells of the thugs from inside and said," Sounds like things are heating up in there… What? Ok so that was in bad taste."

Kayain on the other hand was inside the back area running down Crimson. Gunfire came his way as he rounded a corner.

"You may as well give up. All your men are gone," said Kayain in a rather unusual voice.

"Forget it! I have men under the stadium waiting for your Psion captain and that engineer woman! The Anti-Psionics crown is so powerful, even if she so much as touches it, she can't use her powers for the next hour."

Kayain laughed again, this time it sounded very feminine.

"You simple fool," said Kayain. "That's not the girl you're looking for."

"What the…"

Crimson looked around his cover spot to see the shadow of Kayain begin to shrink and transform into another shape.

"I am," said Cherry in a very baggy shirt that barely reached her thighs.

"You! But… But how-"

Cherry instantly mind dominated him, and left him writhing on the ground.

"Magic," she said folding her arms. "It's a known fact that I despise most magic, Crimson, so figured you wouldn't think I'd use it."

Cherry called on the radio," This is Cherry. I have Crimson, how did everyone else do?"

"Fire raid successful," said Danyel.

"_Oh man_!" said Kayain. "_I feel weird, the only thing I have on is your panties_."

"Is that so? Well I do remember telling you that you could probably wear something under my clothes."

"_Uh… no comment_."

Cherry laughed and said," I feel a little naked here too, I've got your shirt on, and nothing else fits."

"_I know! When I grew, I tore out of all your clothes. But Leda was more freaked out when she saw you doing all the flips and kicks_."

"I bet that was funny," she said. "Anyway, let's get out of here."

Cherry's mind wandered again to late that evening back at the palace. Cherry got stuck with a lot of paperwork for what happened in the stadium. She was forced to pay for damages, and it was an accounting nightmare.

Kayain comes in to her room and says," Hey Cherry, come on. Valentines Day is almost over. Let's get smashed!"

"I don't know… Lots of work to do still."

"We're having a little celebration for you…"

"For me? Why's that?"

"Leda insisted on it. She says it was because of your brilliant idea that she made it out ok."

She puts her pen down and sighs.

"All right. Count me in."

The small celebration had lots of ice cream and chocolate as Cherry remembered. Leda had also baked a cake for her as a way of saying thanks.

The food and drink were excellent, but only one thing would really make this day worthwhile… And Cherry excused herself to pick up something from her room.

Down the corridors, she went to pick up her necklace she made from the three hundred Valentines. The day in general had been bad enough, and she knew this would make it all better.

She made her way back down to the room they were partying in, and heard something in the shadows.

On high alert still, she treaded quieter and tried to get a glimpse of whoever that was in the corridor.

"You do?" she heard one say.

"Yes," she heard the other say.

"Leda… I…"

Cherry froze. It was Kayain she heard, and he was with Leda.

"It doesn't matter if you say yes or no," said Leda. "But that's how I feel."

She dared look down the hall and saw them both.

Kayain looked at her, and nothing else. He said," Yes. Yes I feel the same way about you. I just never said anything before…"

The two closed in and embraced each other. Cherry's heart beat faster.

Then they kissed.

Her heart stopped cold.

She felt betrayed, and at the same time guilty that she never said anything. She felt foolish at her own pride. But most of all, she felt lonely like never before.

The only other man she had ever felt this way for was killed for the sake of getting to her. There were many bounties on them, and he just happened to be in the crossfire.

Many people she had come to care about had been killed in the same fashion. Kayain was an exception though. Being the Vindicator, people were afraid to attack him dead on.

But she missed the opportunity, and knew she wouldn't get one like that again. On the verge of tears, she quietly as she could she ran back to her room and locked herself in.

"Ma'am?" she heard.

"Aye! Cap'n, ya allrigh'?" she heard from what sounded like Biggs. Only Biggs wasn't around then.

Startled, she woke up suddenly to the faces of Biggs and Lu Bu, surprisingly sober.

"Mmm? What time is it?" she said, rubbing her eyes.

"Big hand is on the three, little one is on the dot between 5 and 6," said Lu Bu.

"Oh. These twenty four hour days are killing me… What about you guys? Back so soon?"

"Yea, I figure we won' get hammered till later," said Biggs. "An' wha' about you? Ye were talkin' in yer sleep."

"Was I? I'm sorry."

"Bad dream Ma'am?" said Lu Bu. "You're a bit teary eyed."

"Oh, just eye crud, that's all."

"In that case can I have it? Gonna need more spices for 'raaaarg' stew later," he said hopefully.

Cherry smiled and said," Sure thing big guy."

----------------------------------------------

Danyel came back home late at night. He had been with Cadao and Azuria all day looking for Akarist, and any leads that could take them to his place of disappearance.

Cherry was on the couch watching the news channel, so he slumped down next to her and said," Ok, ok, I'm sorry."

"Did you know that there was a cat born with two heads? I saw it on the news," she said, not moving her eyes from the screen.

"I'm very sorry we ignored you… I only realized that recently."

"Stocks are doing well. At least the ones I invested in are."

"Oh come on… I'm trying to say sorry here."

"Proto-man was also on the news. He was the 'Pervert of Kings Row.' Apparently he was going along to every woman he met and asked if he could see their breasts."

"Please?"

"Mysterious kidnappings across the city again… no biggie there, they're probably stuffed so full of kidnapped people we just look for the bulging building."

Danyel sighs. "Please dear sister whom I love so very much, and is so much better then me in every way, and who didn't waste her time in a college with people who wear goofy hats and do parlor tricks for children's birthdays, because in reality my school was a clown college, I'm sorry."

She turns her head finally and says," Oh good, you remembered how I told you how to apologize. That'll save me trouble."

"Yea, yea, whatever… Hey did Di come home yet?"

"No, why?"

"Tylar says he has no idea where she went. No one else has seen her, and she typically comes home around this time after her usual 'Justice Patrol' thing she does now."

"She's dedicated isn't she? Our little super Heroine, Di. But you're right, she should have been home already. Heck, she didn't even stop in for lunch or dinner."

"Really? You were here all day?"

"Nothing to do but study things, and watch TV," she says as she turns back to the TV. "I was getting hungry, and she wasn't here to make me food."

"Honestly," he said as he folded his arms. "You really just sit around and wait for Diana to make something?"

"Sounds about right, yea. She makes food, and I eat it. I can hardly cook, and you know it… For that matter, you can't either."

"Hey I can cook things."

"If I could just name one thing I'm better at then you in cooking, I can say I've honestly never set my bowl of cereal on fire."

"Ouch… why is it you always have to bring up things we would prefer not to remember?" said Danyel as he scratched his head.

"Truth hurts."

"Anyway, I'm going to my study. Tell me if Diana gets back, I'm hungry too."

Cherry smiles.

At that moment, Kayain, Proto-man, Talley, and Regina come in. All of them look like they've been attacked by a mob.

Cherry, still smiling, says," Sooo… Have a good day?"

"It was going ok," said Regina. "Till _this_ idiot-" she points to Proto-man "- Asked me to make him invisible… It took him a lot of nagging and constant badgering, but I did."

Cherry could already see where this was going.

"And he didn't realize that I could see him too… So he thought he'd be sneaky and walked into a building. Well I followed him, and everyone followed me. He walked right in to a Feminist convention…"

Cherry waited on the laugh for the end of the story.

"Well he also didn't realize that my granted invisibility suppresses temporarily when you interact with another person… Well a feminist was standing on stage talking about how men are pigs, and the usual feminist arguments, with about a hundred women looking. So then, he has the gall to go up and grope her chest."

"I was _measuring_!" said Proto-man.

Cherry sniggered.

"So, I tried to pull him away, and became visible… Talley and Kayain tried to pull us out before the big stampede. Unfortunately, the stampede was faster, and ultimately I was blamed for the stealthy grope, and treated the same as the rest of them."

Talley was smiling surprisingly. He said," So many women… oh all those hands all over me."

"Punching you," said Kayain. "If you're into that kind of thing."

"As an encouraging thought, imagine all that again, only this time, all of those women having huge breasts."

"Humm," said Kayain. "You know, I think I can kind of see what you're getting at. Oh, well we're beaten, tired, and hungry. Has Diana cooked already or are we eating peanut butter and jelly sammeches?"

"Bread's in the cabinet," said Cherry. "Diana, strangely enough isn't back. We can't seem to find her."

"Should we be worried?"

"I'll say," said Cherry flipping the channels. "She might have gone to the restroom and fell in."

"Hope not," said Kayain. "I'm not fishing her out again."

----------------------------------------------

Danyel sat in his study and began to magically scry, to look for Diana. For him it was a little easy to find her. He'd just have to look for the very large gap in the flow of mana. It was almost like finding a black hole in a cluster of stars.

He sat in a trance, searching all around for her, wondering where she could be. Then he found the gap, and looked into it.

Something was looking back. Startled, he came out of the trance and took a deep breath as if he was just underwater.

That has never happened before, and he became very worried.

_Perhaps,_ he thought. _It's good that I made up with Sis. She can find Diana, psionically… I just hope she doesn't mind- no, she won't, but she'll make me humble myself._

Danyel peeks out his door and sees Cherry in the living area. He says," Hey. Could you come here a moment sis?"

"Whatcha need?"

"Just a little help."

"Doing?"

"Scrying."

"I'm kinda busy right now scrying the television."

"You know perfectly well what I mean. Please, I'm asking you for help, seriously!"

Cherry turned her head and said," If you're looking for Akarist still, he's being held in an underground tunnel way off of Founder's Falls. Between the intersections of Blarney Road, and Government Road."

Danyel stared at her, astonished.

"Why didn't-"

"I tell you? Well you were so busy doing all your fancy mystical garbage, I did things my way. Psionics is a lot less complicated then you think. No remembering magic spells, no incantations, or nothing, just think and you're there."

He rounded on her and said," You could have at least said _something_!"

"I did, but last I remember you weren't paying any attention."

Cherry was not the kind of person you wanted a grudge against. Being a psion means having a very disciplined and trained mind. One of her most irritating qualities was never being able to forget things. She simply didn't know _how_ to forget things.

Danyel closed his eyes and sighed. He said," Listen. I already said sorry about that, and I mean it. But right now we have another situation as well. Diana has gone missing, and when I scried for her, I found something… something disturbing."

This time, Cherry turned completely around and said," Go on."

"When I need to find her, all I do is look for the 'hole' in the mana flow, and she's there. Well I found it… but something was there with her. An entity was inside with her. I don't know what this means, but I think she's in trouble."

Cherry thought about this for a moment. She knew strange things were happening, and she could sense them. Then again, strange things happened everyday in this strange City of Heroes.

Whatever was going on with them was entirely magical. Something out of her league. That wasn't to say that she wasn't going to help though. She always looked for every opportunity to one-up magic, and she might have found one.

"So," she said, standing up and putting her arms behind her back. "You can't find out what entity this is?"

"No, I'm getting blocked out."

"Well lucky for you I can slip into minds undetected."

"I know you can. That's why I'm asking for help."

"Of course I will. This is Diana we're talking about after all. I will look for Diana here, and you take a team out and rescue Akarist. Here, let me transfer the coordinates to you."

Cherry's eyes glowed briefly as she implanted the memory in Danyel.

"Thanks sis. I'll get the team ready."

She waved a hand and said," Off you go then."

----------------------------------------------

Akarist and Sarchissia sat in a dimly lit room filled with many magical artifacts and tombs.

They both did not talk at all for the longest time. It wasn't until the guard stepped outside the doorway that Sarchissia said," You didn't have to do that for me."

Akarist did not reply.

"They're going to kill me anyway. You shouldn't have done this."

"Please," said Akarist quietly. "I could not stand the thought of your torture. How could I live with myself knowing I condemned you to that?"

"I know that…"

"No, you do not. I've long lived, and had to condemn many other people… I cannot hope to atone for what I've done, but I can at least prevent it."

"You're _helping_ them! Whatever they have you doing is going to create a bigger problem."

"I know that, but-" Akarist looked around suddenly and said "-Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I heard a voice just now… I suppose it's the voices from those long gone already. As I was saying, I bought you more time so I can properly think of a way to escape and- There it is again!"

"Akarist I don't hear anything."

"I do… There! It sounds like it's saying…'Damn I hope this is the right one,'"

This was an odd thing to hear from the spirits.

"What?"

"Shh… I hear it… let me try and talk."

_Hello? You gotta be thinking thoughts for me to hear._

"Spirits?" said Akarist.

_Ok, now I'm getting a good reception. Can you hear me?_

"Yes, spirits, I hear you."

_Good… and I'm not a spirit._

"You're not? Then who are you?"

_My name's Cherry. I'm a psion._

"A psion?"

_Yes, one who's reaching out to find you. I've sent a team out to rescue you, and they should be en-route already._

"A rescue team you say?"

"Rescue team?" said Sarchissia.

_Yes. And I needed to ask you a question once they rescue you if you don't mind._

"A question?"

_Yes, a question… is it me or is it very redundant in your head?_

"Redundant?"

_Never mind. Please, make yourself visible and apparent when my team arrives._

"Wait! Listen, they have several more people captured here, and they're planning on using them for a sacrifice of some kind. You need to get them out."

_I'll tell my team._

"And be careful, on the bottom level dungeon, the prisoners are not innocent victims, but real prisoners. Vicious people, so please take caution."

_Right, bad prisoners, gotcha… anything else?_

"Not that I can think of… besides the Thorn members outside the door.

_Let us handle that. We'll be there shortly._

Akarist put his hands on his mouth and thought for a moment.

"Sarchissia, someone knows we're here, and they're coming to rescue us."

"Who?"

"That much I do not know."

"Then how do we know they're really going to rescue us and not re-kidnap us?"

"I couldn't tell you my dear. I only know that if that is true, then we've at least eluded a large disaster here."

----------------------------------------------

"It's here right?" said Kayain as he stared at a blocked off pathway in the slope of a large hill. "Behind these rocks?"

"That's what Cherry said," said Danyel. "Now to get in."

"Stand back, I'll handle this," said Kayain as he cracked his knuckles. "Gonna bust down this sucker."

"I think you'd better-"Kayain charged and slammed his fist into the rocks, making a sickening crack sound. "-Wait…"

Kayain didn't move, his fist was still on the stubbornly solid rock wall, with his expression frozen.

"Your arm's broke isn't it?" asked Danyel.

"No," he lied.

"Impressive hit," said Proto-man.

"Yea, very inspiring," said Lu Bu.

"Breaking your arm was a nice touch as well," said Talley.

Kayain gritted his teeth and said," It's _not_ broken."

"Well it isn't anymore," said Danyel. "It's no secret you can regenerate here."

"Like I said, NOT broken."

"Here, let me try something," Danyel said as he examined the door. He put his hand on the door and ran his finger down it slightly. The Door immediately sank down into the ground, revealing the pathway.

"How'd you do that?" asked Kayain as he folded his arms.

"Magical process. Simple, efficient, and quick. In lamens terms, what I did was ask it to open."

"Just ask it?"

"That's it."

"Pft, show off…"

"Let's get a move on team."

Danyel lead the team down the cave path. It was cool, and breezy inside the cave, with the occasional drip of water into a small puddle. The pathway seemed almost man-made by the way there was no other kinds of geography that normally appears in a cave. There was no other varying pathways, and things kept doing dully forward for a few minutes.

They approached a dead end, and Kayain stepped forward and said," Ah, another door eh?"

"I believe so," said Danyel.

"Then can I open this one?"

"Be my guest."

Kayain put his hands on the rock wall and said," Hey door, would you open up before I get angry and start breaking you?"

Nothing happened.

"This door is broken, I say we start smashing!"

"Here, here!" said Lu Bu.

"Well be my guest," said Danyel. "But I believe this door is different from the rest… see the top? It's bigger then the bottom. Something's not right about that.."

"Aye," said Biggs. "Then let me take a whack a' it!"

Biggs fired off his large rifle that seemed way to big for him to carry. Bullets ricocheted of the walls, and everyone ducked.

Danyel stood calmly rubbing his chin with one hand and calmly deflecting the stray bullets with a wind spell using his other.

"Hey!" said Kayain. "Open already you stupid door! Open right now, you hear? Open!"

Lu Bu began hacking into the door with his axe. Kayain pummeled the door while yelling at it to open.

"Stand aside," said Proto-man. "Let's see how it likes a handful of energy!"

Proto charged up energy in his hands, ran up and gave a mighty thrust, sending only a very small amount of pebbles flying. He stood there exactly like Kayain did.

"Your arm isn't broken is it?" asked Regina.

He stood there for a moment quietly. He gritted his teeth and said, "Err… yes…"

"Let me see it."

Proto-man had an odd expression on his face, like he was trying to act macho by not yelling out loud, but his face clearly said he was in pain.

Regina took his arm, which hung limp. She said," Does it hurt here?"

"No."

"Here?"

"No."

"Here-"

"YAAAA… I mean yes…"

"Take this then," she said and handed him a stim pack. "That one's a good kit. Once you run out, just refill and you're good to go again."

Proto-man stared at it for a moment and injected the small hypo by his arm.

"Oh, awesome. The pain is going away."

"Yes, but never forget to see a real doctor though. That stuff can patch you up, but the doctor will make sure there are no irregularities."

"Sweet… So does this mean you like me? Can you kiss it and make it better?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and pressed her finger hard on his wound.

"OOOWWW, Ok, I'll take that as a maybe."

"I've got it," said Danyel. "Can't believe I didn't see it at first."

"Wha-" said Kayain as he stopped punching the wall. "What the hell is wrong with this door then?"

"Observe," he said putting his hand on the door. "Close please."

The door went down into the floor.

"What the hell?" said Kayain. "Ok, now how did you do _that_?"

"Another simple magic process… that and the door was installed upside down."

"Well now," said Regina as she glanced at Kayain. "I bet someone feels like a jackass, don't they?"

"Oh, ha ha," said Kayain sarcastically. "Laugh it up. But you won't be laughing once I start kicking ass… "

They walked into a room unlike the simple cave they walked in. The room had stone pillars, carved with runes, and faintly glowing runes at it's base. It had torches all along the walls, and many various magical symbols decorated it as well. There was a few bookshelves in the corners obviously covered in dust and cobwebs as well.

"Interesting," said Danyel taking everything in. "Proto? Talley? Any of you guys realize a giant underground magical bastion was under Paragon City?"

Talley looked around and said," Vaguely. I had heard reference to it, but never really seen it myself."

"I didn't know anything," said Proto-man.

"It shows," said Regina. "Going invisible guys, leave the scouting to me."

----------------------------------------------

Diana walked the corridors to a room full of Circle of Thorns Mages, all of them around a person chanting an incantation. The person in the middle was struggling in vain while hovering in the air, surrounded by a green light.

Diana came into the room unnoticed by the mages and smiled. A mage nearby approached her and said," My mistress, everything is according to plan."

"Excellent, Azmos," said Diana, but not in her own voice. "Where is the envoy?"

"He is preparing the gifts he has promised, and will bring it to us as soon as possible."

"Good. With the use of this body we will bring the world to it's knees."

"Yes, mistress. I was afraid at first when you took that body that it might not be suitable, because the prophecy describes the Virgin sacrifice."

"Never mind that. This body is suitable as it is. I can tap into all my powers easily from this conduit."

"And the host?"

"She still resides within. Unfortunately I still require the use of her soul to access these powers. When I am restored though, I will have no more need of her and dispose of her. Perhaps I will feed her soul to the Liches."

"Excellent-" he said and stopped. "Did you hear something?"

"I hear only the chants of the sacrifice to the envoy."

Azmos looked around a moment, and sniffed the air. He concentrated a moment on a corner that looked a little odd in the light. He walked over and put his hand out as if searching for something.

"What do you see Azmos?"

"I thought there was a presence here. Something unseen."

"Perhaps. This place is filled with spirits."

"Not a spirit. No. This one is mortal…" An underling approached him and said," We've got intruders at the front, exalted one."

"Intruders… Deal with them. Mistress Lilitu, will you be going to Severich now?"

"In time," said Lilitu in Diana's body. "I wish to see these intruders. I have not used my powers against mortals in such a long time, and I wish to see what this body is capable of."

Azmos paused and said, "Did you feel that?"

"I did this time," said Lilitu. "Something was just here. No matter. Let us be off."

----------------------------------------------

"Oh crap!" said Kayain as he rounded a corner right into a very tall winged demon.

"Behemoths!" said Talley. "Get em!"

The brawl began. The Behemoths are lesser demons summoned from the abyss to help the Circle of Thorns. But because they are lesser demons, they have very limited power.

Kayain jumped in front of Proto-man just in time to take a hit from a fire ball that was hurled at him. Proto retaliated with a barrage of his own energy at the Behemoth, knocking it off it's feet.

Danyel summoned a tornado and led it down the hallway, knocking Behemoths over like bowling pins. More fire came his way, and he threw it against the wall with wind spells. Lu Bu jumped in front of Danyel, and provoked the Behemoths into attacking him. Their claws and fire tore into Lu Bu, but he was trained better than that. He did not cry out, or flinch at all. With his Nano-Tech, it was completely bearable.

Now it was Lu Bu's turn with his axe. When a claw came his way, his axe came swift, and severed it.

One came at Biggs throwing a fireball. Biggs took a jumping sidestep and moved out of the way while at the same time shooting him with his modified flack cannon (Modified to his size).

Talley jumped in the air as he gathered negative energy in his body, and gracefully landed on the shoulders of a behemoth. The Behemoth was taken off guard, and didn't shake when Talley gripped it's head and used his power to instantly banish it back to the abyss.

The Behemoths were no match for them. The last one began to run, and Biggs said," Oh no ya don't…" Biggs threw his weapon down and pulled out a scoped pistol. He only took a second and popped it in the back of the head, dropping it.

"Vicious feckers aren't they?" he said smiling, hoping someone would compliment that shot.

"Keep going team. They know we're here. Let's push on and find Akarist quickly."

"_Gina to Danyel_," said Regina quietly.

"Danyel here, what's up sis?"

"_I don't believe what I'm seeing, but-_"

"Hold on…" said Danyel suddenly as he sees Diana coming down the corridor being held by two mages, with one in the front. "It's Di! Oh my God, they have her!"

"_Yea, but wait, that's-_"

"Diana! What have you done to her?!" yelled Danyel.

"Ah we were hoping to meet you Wizard Danyel," said the Mage in front. "We've heard so much about you from your dear wife."

Kayain took a step forward, and the Mage said," Na-ah. Don't want anything to happen to her now do you?"

"Bastard!" said Kayain. "When I get my hands on you-"

"What I need from you Wizard, is a potion in exchange for your wife. A very special potion as a matter of fact."

Danyel sneered at him. The mage smiled and said," We require the potion of Mak' Havat-Oran. And we hear you're very talented with alchemy, so something like this should provide you with no difficulty."

As Danyel clenched his fists, Biggs looked impatiently from one face to another and said," Ach! We don' have time fer this shite!"

In one swift motion, he fired three pistol rounds and nailed the three mages in the forehead.

"Sissies," said Biggs. "May ya burn in hell."

"Good job Biggs," said Danyel as he went over to Diana. "Di! Are you ok? What did they do to you?"

"Danyel?" said Diana as Danyel picked her up. "Oh Danyel I was so scared."

"It's ok hon, we're here now," he said, embracing her.

"Danyel, I'm so glad you're here!" she said and smiled. "Allow me to reward you my dear husband…"

"Di? This isn't the time for-" She immediately locked lips with him, and Kayain turned around making retching sounds.

Something though, was not right. Danyel felt it while she kissed him. It felt as if he was loosing himself, completely into her. He felt his mind slipping away, when a voice came and said, _Hey! Wake up! Remember what we saw while scrying you fool!_

Danyel blinked and with all his might, pushed her away.

"Diana! What's gotten into you?"

She smiled and said," A lot actually…"

Diana blew a kiss to him, but he felt a sting when she did, and it was cold. Danyel felt as if the temperature in his body was leaving.

"Hey, what the-" said Kayain as he looked around.

Diana continued to blow gently at them, and in an instant, ice began to entomb them.

"It's not Diana! It's an imposter!" said Danyel, who was now moving very slowly.

Within seconds, all of them were covered in a thick block of ice.

The imposter strolled up pleasantly to the block of ice that contained Danyel and said," Mmm, you _are_ a beautiful man. I think I'll keep you the way you are and put you in my throne room."

She idly stroked the ice, while in the corner, Lu Bu's ice block shuddered. She glanced over and saw Lu Bu burst out of the ice with a mighty warcry. Lu Bu snarled and gave a quick jab to the block next to him that contained Kayain. The ice cracked, just enough for Kayain to burst out as well.

"Oh, hell no!" said Kayain. "I don't know who you are, but you aren't my sister. I'm gonna pound you into the ground!"

The imposter shrugged her shoulders and said," Oh, but I _am_ your sister. You see, her soul resides within me. Her very safety depends on your actions."

"LIAR!" said Kayain.

"If you hurt me, you'll be destroying your dear sister's body as well. _I_ on the other hand, can exchange bodies just like that," she said as she snapped her fingers.

"Want, I should grind her bones to make Orcish bread?" said Lu Bu with bared teeth.

Kayain thought for a moment and said," No… Maybe you are telling the truth… Maybe you're not. I'm going to find out one way or another, and when I do…"

Soon, Proto-man gathered enough energy to melt the ice around him, and he was free. Talley, and Regina followed suit soon after. Danyel's eyes glowed, and ice evaporated into steam almost instantly.

The imposter laughed as a mage came down the hall and said," Mistress Lilitu! The ceremonies are about to begin."

"Azmos," she said. "I will return shortly."

"Possession," said Danyel. "I should have guessed."

"Indeed Wizard Danyel," said Lilitu. "And as we mentioned before, if you ever want to see your wife again, we can make an exchange. We desire the potion of Mak' Havat-Oran."

Danyel knew what this was. It was a potion that was so potent that it could kill someone simply by driving their soul out of their body.

It was also an extremely difficult potion that can only be made at the full moon, and has a lifespan of ten minutes. If it is not consumed within 10 minutes, then it is useless.

"No deal," said Danyel resolutely.

"Oh? You would not do this to save your wife? Even if you knew what it meant? Let me explain the situation to you Wizard… If you do not give me what I require, then I shall feed your wife's soul to the Litch King himself!"

Danyel went pale hearing this.

"Yes, wizard, you understand _that_ now don't you?"

Danyel slumped over and said," Please… Don't."

"Then what I require from you is the potion."

"It's only good for ten minutes. The best I can do is get you the ingredients and the book."

"It will suffice. Bring me what I desire, and you shall have your wife's soul back," she said as a large group of Mages and Behemoths came up behind her. "Kill the rest. All I need is the wizard."

With that, she vanished.

"Danyel-" started Kayain.

"I know what I'm doing," he said as he unthawed Biggs who swore loudly. "One problem at a time. Let's handle this first."

----------------------------------------------

Regina was now becoming terribly lost in these corridors. Several times she came across a teleporter that would teleport her to a random location.

She was very worried when Danyel's communicator went dead, and frantically searched around for the team.

"_Gina? Are you still out there?_" she finally heard on her communicator.

"Yes! Where are you? What happened?" said Regina.

"_Had a bit of a run-in with Diana…_"

"Aarg, I was _trying_ to tell you she was possessed! All of these guys here are like soulless, evil, bastards!"

"_Yea, I'm sorry sis. I've just been very inattentive to you guys. I've been too worried about other things, that Diana's in trouble, and I didn't even notice._"

"Loosing your touch bro," said Regina. "Never mind that, what can we do?"

"_Give me a while. I will think up a plan._"

"I'm still going to search around here. I heard them talking about sacrifices, and I'm going to see if I can help those poor folks out."

"_All right. Let us know if you find mage Akarist._"

"Sure will. Gina, out," She said as she continued down the hallway.

Further down the corridor she encountered a room filled with what looked like Jail cells using force barriers as the doors.

_Maybe Akarist is here_, she thought. _Only problem is, I don't know what he looks like._

She skimmed the halls to look for someone. She encountered a hooded guard patrolling the area. She manifested an energy knife, snuck up behind him, put her hand around his mouth, and rammed the knife in his back.

"Shhh, don't want to wake up your friends now do you?" she said sweetly as his glowing eyes faded and fell slack in her arms.

She looked further down the cell block and encountered someone pounding on the force door with fire from his whole body.

The man was very tall, muscle-bound, and had two big horns on his head.

Regina wondered why this person was in here if he looked like one of those other horned demons who use fire. She wondered if this one had become reformed, and if not, she would set him loose and let him at least fight off the Circle of Thorns for her.

She figured it wouldn't hurt to ask anyway, so she said, "Hey you! Pipe down a moment!"

The man stopped pounding on the door, looked at the Force door curiously and said," The door speaks as if it's annoyed with me."

"Maybe it's a spell," Regina heard someone say from the back of the cell.

"No," said Regina as she un-cloaked. "I'm part of a rescue crew."

Startled the man stepped back from the door and regarded her for only a moment and said," Good. Then maybe you can explain a few things going on here."

"You don't know either? Well who are you?"

"There are some who call me," he said as he flexed. "Horn Head."

"Doesn't leave much else to the imagination does it?"

"Hua?"

"Never mind."

"I am Lady Darkness, defender of justice," said the other person.

" So you're a hero then?"

"Yes," She said as she approached the door. She was a white haired lady who, like Regina, you could not really tell her age, yet looked pretty young. "We were testing out the new Arena when our teleport systems malfunctioned and sent us here. It was as if they were expecting us, so they all attacked at once."

"Ah, so you were probably with her," said Regina more to herself.

"With her? Oh, do you mean the busty brunette?" said Horn Head.

"That's the one."

"We don't know what happened to her, sorry."

"Well I do. It's not pretty…"

"Sorry we couldn't help."

"Not your fault, but we really need to get out of here."

"Yea, yer right."

"One of the guards had this on em," she said sporting a stone with runes on it. "I suppose it opens the doors."

She presses the stone against an indention on the stonework by the force shield, which immediately dissolves the force shield.

"Thanks lady," said Horn Head. "If you don't mind, we may need some help gettin' out of here."

"Yea, I will, but first we need to continue searching here. We got a tip-off that there is some sacrificial victims here."

"In that case we need to help them as well," said Lady Darkness.

As they searched the area, they came across a few other people locked in the force rooms. Regina opened the doors and showed them to the area where Lady Darkness and Horn Head were to escort the hostages out.

She came across a cell in the very far back that seemed to have a good number of people in it. When she approached, they were asleep, and she said," Hey, wake up!"

A number of them stirred, and looked over to her. One by one, they began to wake up and look at her.

"Are you guys ok?"

"We are _now_ miss…" said one in a gruff voice. "Come to play with us have you?"

"No, I'm here to rescue you. We're all making a break for it, so everyone get up and get ready. I'm gonna open this door in a sec."

They all looked at each other and grinned. A few chuckled, and stared only at her.

"There," she said as the force shield dissolved. "Come on you guys."

"Oi, miss," said one. "Me foot's injured, an I can hardly walk. Can ya take a look at it?"

Regina looked skeptical at this guy. When she got a closer look at them, she became very uncomfortable. They were all very gruff, massive, and smelled very bad. What caught her attention was the orange outfits they were all wearing. She assumed the orange suits were for this city's prison, and did not want to get any closer then she had to.

"Err, no. I'm not a doctor. But the rest of you look strong enough to carry him."

They all complained. None of them wanted to carry his dead weight around.

"Come on miss," he said. "Give us a hand will ya?"

"No thanks. Limp out if you have to but-"

At this point, the closest two made a rush at her. She had nowhere to move in the corner she was facing, and was hit hard around her mid-section, knocking the wind out of her. The two dragged her back into the cell while the others closed in.

"This filly's mine first," said the biggest one of them. "S' been fifteen years since I had a piece of ass this good."

Regina, dazed, shakes off the stun she received, and looks at the men around her, tugging at her clothing.

She bars her teeth, and gathers energy around her and singes the hands of the person holding her hands down. As he retracts, she uses the energy in her hands to fend off the others who were grabbing at her.

For this, she receives a series of kicks while she's on the floor. Trying not to think about the pain, she rolls back as hard as she can to get on her feet. They stare at her as she staggers a bit, but still with energy in her hands. They smirk as she realizes she rolled back into the back end of the cell, while they block her only exit.

"No way out of this Miss," said one. "Just give yourself to us. We just might let you live, know what I'm sayin'?"

Regina, still in a fighting stance said," No freaking way. I'm gonna take down as many of you bastards as I can… Oh, looks like there's no need now."

"Giving up? Heh, I knew you were a-"

The man suddenly stopped talking as a dark shadow loomed over him. He turned around to see the tallest man he'd ever seen before. On top of all that, he had two very large horns on his head, and was completely on fire. But the fire wasn't burning him at all. In fact, he looked positively happy about it.

"Oh, Sh-"

The man's mouth was cauterized shut when Horn Head grabbed his face. He also pressed his fingers into the man's eyes, blinding him permanently.

While that criminal was writing on the ground, all the rest turned to see him just before he sent jets of fire right into them.

Soon after, they were all subdued on the floor, each in pain with their crippling burns.

"Thank you," said Regina. "I'm glad I let you out first…"

"Think nothing of it. You saved me as well," he said.

She followed him out, taking care to tread on their wounds, and re-sealed the door.

They walked along silently for a while, then he asked," Did they-"

"No," she said. "They came close, but my outfit can't be forcefully removed easy."

"Well as long as you're ok."

"I am, thank you."

"Is that everyone?"

"Yes, I think so. We'll have to get the authorities down here though just in case."

----------------------------------------------

Akarist was pacing nervously in the room. He was quite sure he had heard a commotion outside somewhere. The two guards were also getting nervous and told him to sit down and shut up.

As he sat in his char he said quietly to Sarchissia, "I can hear them. The rescue team is on the way… if only there was a way to get their attention…"

"Let me try something," she said.

She walked close to the door and screamed at the top of her lungs. She continued screaming until a guard punched her to the floor and pointed a crossbow at her.

"You filthy worm! You will be silent from here on, or I will have your tongue on a plate!"

As he raised his hand to strike her again, there was a commotion outside. A mage suddenly came flying through the door, startling everyone.

A man walked in, cracking his knuckles and smiling.

"Oh," he said looking at the girl on the floor, and the guards around her. "Come at a bad time?"

The one with the crossbow, turned and shot the man in the chest. Sarchissia screamed as he was hit with the bolt. But surprisingly, the man ignored it and continued smiling.

"Now you've gone and hurt my feelings," he said, advancing on them.

The other one rushed at him with a dagger. The man yawned and caught the guard's hand easily, slapped the knife out of his hand, and bent his hand so his palm was kissing his forearm.

The guard with the crossbow reloaded and fired another bolt. The man simply moved his buddy in the way and hit him in the chest. The man let him go, pulled out the crossbow bolt from his chest, and rammed it into the guard's throat.

The crossbow guard staggered back while trying to reload his crossbow. The man advanced with a smile, and they couldn't help notice that the bolt wound had healed like it was never there.

Sarchissia stuck her foot out as the guard came closer to her. The guard tripped over her, shooting a bolt into the ceiling.

The man leaned over the fallen guard and said," Mmm, stay like that a moment."

He picks up the guard from the floor and lifts him up over his head, and brings him down hard onto his outstretched knee, breaking his back.

"This is why," he said to the guard bent in half over his knee. "On wrestling shows they tell you not to try it at home. But damn I love wrestling too much to care."

He throws him aside, and helps up Sarchissia and says," I thought I heard someone scream." He adds as he looks at Akarist, "Or was it you?"

"No sir," says Sarchissia. "It was me."

"Good, good… Otherwise it would have been awkward. Name's Kayain and- Oh yea… Hey guys! In here!"

A bunch of heroes come into the room and look around.

"Akarist?" asks one.

Akarist stands up and says," Yes, that is me."

"Good. We were sent in to find you by Cadao Kestrel, and Azuria."

"Oh did they? Never misses a trick, Cadao. Azuria is also a very gifted seer from what I know too. But I'm afraid I must warn you of the many dangers that lie ahead."

"I've know about most… and I'm going to need your help with a few issues," he said.

----------------------------------------------

Danyel entered the room of M.A.G.I. followed by his group, Akarist, Horn Head, and Lady Darkness. He stopped a moment to a slight surprise already waiting for him there.

Cherry was sitting next to Cadao Kestrel and Azuria, sipping tea around a small table and exchanging pleasantries.

"Ah," she said as he came in. "Finished already? Took you long enough."

"Yea well," he said, still a bit surprised. "It was harder then it seemed…"

"I recon it was," said Cherry with a smile.

"Your sister has some incredible talents," said Azuria.

"Indeed, even _I'm_ impressed," said Cadao.

Danyel raised an eyebrow at her and said," Oh? I was unaware she had even an ounce of magical talent-"

"Not magic talent," said Azuria. "Just talent. She was able to inform us on what was going on with the astral plane. It appears they weren't able to get what you requested because of the interference from this Envoy of Shadow, and the improper summoning."

"Yes," said Danyel thoughtfully. "That _would_ explain a lot."

"Also," said Cherry. "I need to talk to Akarist to confirm my findings."

Akarist stepped forward and said,"Was it you whom I talked to?"

"Indeed. Everyone, please come in. We have many things to discuss."

They all came in and sat down somewhere.

"So," said Danyel feeling slightly put-out. "What did you find… without me?"

"Ah, where to start?" she said as she turned toward Akarist. "You were undoubtedly searching for the Envoy's true name yes?"

"Yes," said Akarist. "And it would have been fruitless if you had not told me where to look."

"Wait, what?!" said Danyel. "You helped find a magical book?"

"I made a few contacts and had them search for me," said Cherry with a hint of a smug smile.

"And a very good thing that your team got me out when they did. I probably could not have feigned ignorance for very long there."

"And did you find the name?"

"Yes, I did. But I dare not speak it here. We must use the name in a binding spell after we subdue the beast."

"Subdue," said Kayain as he stopped scratching himself. "Izzat the same as stomping it into pudding?"

"Yes, Kayain," said Cherry. "And I want _you_ to help me turn the demon into ground beef."

"Oh, freaking sweet!"

"Now, that's not all," said Cherry. "About Diana."

"We saw what happened," said Danyel.

"Diana's soul still lies in her body. Lilitu is using her still to manipulate Diana's powers. Although she doesn't have full access, Diana will most certainly break at some point. Don't worry Dan, I've gotten in contact with her, and I told her to hang on, because we're coming for her."

"Is she… in pain?"

Cherry hesitated a moment and said," Yes. Lilitu's psyche is attempting to tear her forcefully from her body, the pain is excruciating… But she's still hanging on… Waiting for you."

Danyel looked down and turned away. Cherry continued,"Akarist, what do you know of the name Hequat?"

Akarist suddenly looked sick when he heard her say that. His voice trembled as he said," Hequat… Where did you hear that name?"

"From inside Lilitu's head… She is not yet at full power and I can more eaily probe her mind with most of her concentration on Diana. But what can you tell us about this?"

He was still shocked to hear that name. He had not heard the name in so long, he had almost forgotten completely about it.

Akarist hesitated a moment as he thought about it. He said,"This goes back far… very far. In the ancient times of Oranbega and Mu… if you will listen I will tell you about it…

"Though we did not know of them until the War, the Mu were our sworn enemy for hundreds of years. Within a fortress-island forged of iron and fear they had been trained to hate us and to fight against us for generations. Their Goddess demanded it, and they obeyed her in all ways. They believed that their chosen place upon this world was to serve as the righteous implement of her will, and in their deeds and customs did they enshrine this so that to do otherwise would be unthinkable. At her command they performed generations of what you would call eugenic breeding to strengthen the magic within their blood lines. At her command they attacked our peaceful Oranbega on a spring day, sewing ruin on our city and bringing war to us after it had become forgotten in our lands. The name of this Goddess was Hequat.

"Hequat was in our myths as well, for it was her followers who had hounded us from our lands and drove our forbears into the sea. In our myths she was the former lover of Ermeeth, the god who taught our people the magic he had learned from fabled Tielekku. Hequat was also Ermeeth's greatest foe, and it was from her armies we had fled under one sea and across another to the land we would call Oranbega. We thought Ermeeth and Hequat were both legends until her soldiers came to burn our world away.

"If Lilitu speaks truly and Hequat moves again I do not know if it will be to your good or ill. She hated Oranbega, and would hate that which we have become even more. However, it must be remembered that her hatred stemmed from our refusal to bow down to the gods in all things, as she though was proper for mortals. That aspect may bode ill for your people and your culture."

Cherry listened very intently to this story. She didn't speak for moments after this, and rested her head in her hands as she thought.

She looked up and said," Then I think I'm right about Lilitu. She plans on resummoning this Hequat using Diana's ability once she breaks her soul completely. She was looking for some potion called Mak' Havat-Oran, which will aid her greatly in expelling Diana's soul but leaving her powers intact."

"Yea," said Danyel quietly. "She wanted that potion in exchange for Diana's soul…"

"Yea, file that under 'not gonna happen'," said Cherry. "I'm very confident in Diana's abilities… She'll hold out until we get there."

Danyel simply nodded.

"Next thing," she said to Akarist. "What are Thorn blades?"

Akarist looked distressed at this as well. He said," Where did you hear about this?"

"The mage Azmos. He is a weak minded fool, and I can access his mind without too much trouble."

"Well that too is a bit of a story of our past, if you'll hear me out…

"When our people were pressed by the Mu, we took drastic measures. First we sank our city beneath the earth to shelter us from bombardment by Mu sky ships. Then, when we found we still were sorely pressed, we turned to other powers from darker worlds. A Prince of Demons came to us and offered us his aid. The Circle of Thorns, the ruling council of Oranbega, debated greatly, but in the end we bargained with him.

"His first gift to us was the Thorn Blades, Demon-swords that turned men into blood-frenzied monsters. Armed with these we turned the tide, and the slaughter was indescribable.

"The men of Mu found new tactics however, and blunted our attack. Again we struck bargains with the Prince of Demons, and he brought forth troops to fight on our behalf from the depths of Hell. With wraiths and specters did we march upon the Mu. With Behemoths of the land and Leviathans of the sea did we fall upon their men, their city, their very land. The fiends had bargained for the slaughter of every last man, child, and woman of Mu, and on that fine point we faltered. We still felt mercy for them, pity eve, as we saw in them what might have become of us. We let some Mu escape to far shores. When the fiends discovered this, they were both outraged and gleeful, for they had hoped for just such an outcome. In the end we had to sacrifice mortal form and were only able to escape the wrath of the fiends as bodiless spirits in our sunken city.

"A gift of Thorn Blades was the first step in our bargain then, and it will likely be the first step in a new one. We long ago gained the secrets of their making, just as we now have better methods of binding demons to our will, but the ceremonial import of the gift is still important. I have spoken before of the vanity of fiends, and love of ritual is part of it."

"Very intriguing," said Cherry. "This brings me to what we've been discussing, right Cadao?"

"Yes it certainly brings evidence to what you are talking about," said Cadao. "Allow me to explain; Miss Cherry has been saying that perhaps the Demon Lilitu, and the Circle of Thorns have two different objectives. Lilitu is trying to summon one of the old goddesses of the Mu, while the mage Azmos intends to make deals with the Envoy of Shadow once again. This combined effort could only be catastrophic for our world."

"So what we have here," continued Azuria. "Is a resurrection of something that once destroyed two civilizations, and made them what they are now. With both powers resurrected, there's no telling what kind of havoc could be unleashed on the Earth."

"Aye," said Biggs. "So wha' are we standin' aroun' here for? Les go kick some arse!"

Cherry stood up and said," He's right. There's no use talking too much about it. Most of my suspicions are confirmed, and we know what we're dealing with. But let's not rush in recklessly. We need a plan."

"I have one," said Danyel standing up as well. "Let's call Tylar as well. I need his help on this one."

"Tylar? Really? Never thought I'd hear you say that," said Cherry.

"I would like to help with what I can," said Horn Head.

"Please do," said Cherry. "We'll need all the help we can get."

"In that case I will help with what I can," said Lady Darkness.

"Excuse me-" said a gruff voice from the doorway. "May I be of any assistance?"

Everyone turned to see another person with horns on his head, and covered in armor. The man brandished a fiery axe as he strode in the room.

"Infernal," said Azuria. "What brings you here?"

"You _know_ him?" whispered Cherry.

"He is part of the Vindicators, a prominent super group here in Paragon City."

Infernal scans the room, stopping at Cherry. He looks at her and says," You are Cherry I presume?"

"I am. What do you want?"

"You contacted my partner Numina, and she informed me about your problems with the demon Lilitu."

"She's possessing the body of my brother's Wife. We're looking for a way to get her out without killing Diana."

"Ah, in that case I believe I _can_ help with that then."

----------------------------------------------

The 'plan' was set into motion. Cherry had laughed when she heard what Danyel had planned, but didn't contradict him in the slightest.

Finding Lilitu's lair wasn't a problem for Cherry, since all she had to look for was Diana. They found her lair to be in a tall island north of Talos Island.

Kayain bought a speedboat, in cash, to take the ones who couldn't fly to the island.

"I say," said Tylar. "We could have just used my hovercraft to get here. It's larger and faster."

"Yea well," said Kayain. "Your hovercraft has way too many science stickers on it. I'm surprised it hasn't dissolved from shame."

"There is nothing wrong with my hovercraft!"

"He's right Kayain," said Regina. Kayain raised an eyebrow at her and she said," I mean the thing we can all say that's admirable about Tylar is he _obviously_ treasures performance over appearance."

"You see?" said Tylar. "Someone who appreciates my work for what it is. Performance makes the- Wait… was that supposed to be a jibe or a compliment?"

Regina kept a straight face, but smiled on the inside.

"We're coming up to the area now," said Cherry who was driving. "We gotta be careful out here. Tide's coming in and the weather looks like it wants to storm."

"As if it knew we were coming," said Danyel. "Well this certainly sets the stage well."

"My thoughts exactly," said Cherry as she parked by a rocky shore. "Ok, let's go over the plan. Kayain, pay attention, because I know you'll be the first one with a really dumb question."

"Question," he said automatically. "Are you wearing those pink panties today or are they the blue ones?"

"Answer; Shut up."

Kayain smiles and says quietly," Heh, the blue ones."

Proto-man whispers to Kayain," You're right, she really _is_ cute when she's angry."

"Now, I know that they're not expecting us at this moment, so we at least have the element of surprise. Danyel, do you have the book?"

"Yup."

"The guards will be alerted within minutes, so we only have a few minutes for a pre-emptive strike. Cadao has the name, and will perform the ritual for banishment on the Envoy of Shadow. This will require the rest of us to kick the ever-living crap out of him first."

"My part!" said Kayain.

"Yes, you need to help out with that. While we keep the Envoy busy, Danyel and Infernal will invade the inner sanctum where Lilitu resides."

"Question!" said Kayain.

"The blue ones! Sheesh, that's enough already!"

"Heh, heh, I wasn't going to ask that," he said as he grinned smugly. "I was going to ask why don't we all go after the envoy at once, and then deal with Lilitu at once?"

"Because," said Danyel. "She's more then likely guarded by some very serious magical barriers. I don't want her to have a chance to either escape, or have you guys get hurt from a barrier… On top of all that, you wouldn't know what to do in there. You could permanently damage Diana's body beyond repair, then she'd be as good as dead anyway."

"Well we can do _something_ right?" asked Kayain. "She may be your wife, but she's still my sister, and I gotta protect her somehow."

"You can keep her safe by keeping me safe. I won't fail."

Kayain folded his arms and said," Is that another way of telling me to piss off?"

"In essence, yes."

"Can I at least make a mean looking face at Lilitu?"

"If you think it will help, most defiantly."

"Harsh language?"

"Every little bit helps I guess."

"But Danyel is right Kayain," said Cherry. "We need to make sure he can make it in, or our work will be in vein."

"All right wizard boy," said Kayain grudgingly. "You get in, you do your thing, and- Heh, I said-" he stopped himself with the look Cherry threw him. "And, uh, get her safely out…"

"Everyone clear on that?" asked Cherry. "We will only move in to Danyel's position if he requires it. Otherwise we do not move in."

They nodded.

Cherry pointed to an open fissure protruding out the cliff of the island.

"It's in there," she said as she readied her Jump-Suit. "Lucky for us, the tide is low, and we can access it with a good jump over the spiked and jagged looking rocks."

"That's lucky?" asked Tylar. "This deathtrap we're riding couldn't navigate in these horrible conditions. I even said that before we came out here! We wouldn't have to have taken this unnecessary risk if we'd have just brought my hovercraft…"

"Oh, well _I_ suggested we take it," said Cherry, hoping she sounded convincing. "But the majority voted against that, so here we are."

"That's cause you're a nerd like Tylar," said Kayain.

"Well Tylar, Kayain has volunteered to go first. Feel better?"

"Aaaw!"

Kayain took a few warm up jumps and stretched a bit to waste some time. Cherry impatiently tapped her foot and said," The others already went inside, we're waiting on you."

"I'm warming up! A man's gotta know when not to strain himself."

"You might just need the proper inspiration…" she said as she shoved him to the edge.

Kayain wobbled a bit and took a super jump to the other side. When the others saw he made it unharmed, the followed along.

"You think you're funny, but you're not," said Kayain as Cherry smiled at him.

They all continued along the path until they reached the familiar stone door that Danyel opened before.

"Ok," said Kayain. "Now I have this one. Close!"

"Open," said Danyel as the door opened.

"I was _going_ to say that next!"

Again they were in the familiar Oranbega surroundings. Artifacts on the walls, torch lit carved stone pathways, and magic so potent in that they could literally feel it's presence.

They went down the corridors, not encountering anything. Cherry thought this was a little suspicious.

"I can sense them, but they're not here," she said as they entered a wide room with two small ponds on both sides of the room. "It's odd; it feels very cold in here."

Regina stopped and looked around. She said," Wait… I can see them."

They looked around.

"What do you see?"

"Ghosts… Lots of em."

"Spectral Daemons," said Infernal. "Not truly ghosts, still corporeal enough to hit."

"That they may be," they heard someone say from the opposite doorway. "But what they lack in true ghost form, they make up for with the ability to tear your heart out and eat it."

Azmos stepped into the room. He regarded them for a moment and said," Did you really think you could slip in here unnoticed? Did you think we didn't know you were coming? We are the Circle of Thorns, there is nothing we do not know."

"Is that so?" said Cherry. "If you're so all knowing, then why have you not stopped your mistress from re-summoning Hequat?"

Surprisingly Azmos was taken aback when she said that. "Hequat?! Where did you hear that name?"

"Your mistress, as I said… Of course, I'm sure being part of the Circle of Thorns, you already knew this?"

"Lies!" he spat. "Mistress Lilitu is devoted to the Circle and none other! I will not listen to your-"

"You should know better then to trust a demon, Azmos. Lilitu has no loyalty, and only thrives on death and chaos. And you provided her with the means to do this by giving her Diana."

"Silence woman! I will not hear another word of your lies!"

"Fine. Don't believe me. But ask yourself where was Lilitu when you attempted to make sacrifices to your precious Envoy of Shadow? What was she doing when you attempted to gain the naming ritual? I can answer that. She was attempting the summoning of Hequat using Diana. When she failed that, she used a ritual that involved the sacrifice of the wicked… unfortunately your inmates were incapacitated and arrested again."

Azmos stayed silent.

"She's played you for a fool Azmos, and now you're going to pay. Why do you think she wants the Mak' Havat-Oran? You're already making the pact with the Envoy, making your access to demon summoning virtually limitless. Why does she need her own personal summoning? Ever wondered about that?"

"She was… doing that for the Circle's sake…" he said, not bothering to hide his skepticism.

"Come off it. You know she's never been a participant in any of your ridiculous rituals. She's been scheming and plotting behind your back and you are none the wiser."

"Silence!" he yelled. He stood there, looking furious, and Cherry felt the gears were turning in his head finally. "I do not know if what you say is true, but you will never find out, because you will die here and now."

"Way to piss him off," said Kayain.

"All I needed was for him to be distracted," whispered Cherry.

"Guards!" said Azmos.

The Daemons became visible above them and began to swoop down on them. Cherry reacted quickly by putting up a large psi-barrier around everyone to keep out the Daemons making them howl in anger.

"I'm going to take down the barrier," she said. "You guys head in and find the Envoy."

"You can't take all these on alone!" said Kayain.

"If you think your fist will work on a ghost, you've got another thing coming," she said.

"I won't just leave you here!" he said angrily.

"I'll stay," said Regina. "Cherry and I can work psionically on these things, while you guys go ahead."

"I'll help out too," said Kat. "I have mental abilities too."

"Actually we just call you 'mental'," said Regina.

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"Sure," said Cherry as she moved the barrier so that the way to the door was clear. "Happy Kayain? Now get going!"

Kayain grimaced and said," Fine… Just don't get yourself hurt…"

She winked at him and said," Come on, don't be such a softie. Just leave it to me."

He nodded, and with that, they left.

----------------------------------------------

Kayain and the rest of the team continued down the long hallway and reached another room full of broken seats, and a large podium. With all the ancient runes and artifacts on the wall, it looked like some kind of pagan chapel with a sacrificial altar by the podium. Behind the podium was a portal in a large stone circle, which Kayain figured was how they were getting around so quickly.

No sooner had he though this, then a very large winged demon emerged from the portal, accompanied by several other smaller ones.

"Well, well," laughed Kayain. "Well, well, well… Look what we have here boys; looks like the circus is in town a bit early."

"You…" it growled. "Heroes of Paragon City. You will be the replacements for the sacrifices you have taken from me. The negotiations are almost complete, and you will not be able to stop me."

"Kayain," said Danyel. "Do not underestimate him. He has immense power."

"I 'ain't afraid of someone without a visible pecker," he said loudly. "These clowns couldn't take over a nursing home, let alone the world."

The Envoy of Shadow glowered at him and said," But you… you shall suffer a fate worse then a thousand deaths."

Kayain waged his fingers patronizingly and said," Oh, he's angry now. I'd better watch out!"

"Kayain, I'm serious, please be careful," said Danyel.

"And you need to shut up and get going," said Kayain as he pointed to a side door. "Get down there and save Diana, or I'll kick your ass personally."

"Are you sure you guys can take this guy?"

"Hey, I just told you to shut up and save your wife!"

"You mean your sister," he said with a slight smile.

"Really? Since when? Must have forgot, now piss off!"

"Right!"

----------------------------------------------

Danyel and Infernal proceeded down the corridor, and things began to look much more gruesome.

"This is definitely some of her work," said Infernal. "I can feel her presence."

The walls were covered in blood, and the halls were lit by candles on top of a pile of human skulls. Danyel took notice that the skulls were still very red, and were probably recently killed.

"She has a blood-lust that cannot be quenched," said Infernal grimacing at the horrid sights on the wall. "I hope we are not too late."

"No, we're not," said Danyel resolutely.

When they rounded a corner, they encountered a very large double door, with various glowing runes on it. They approached it, and Infernal stopped short and said," I can go no further."

"A barrier as I figured," said Danyel. "I could undo this, but it would take hours… I guess it's time for plan B after all."

"It would seem so," he said, folding his arms. "But do I really have to go in _there_?"

----------------------------------------------

When Cherry dropped her barrier, the ghosts swarmed them. Ghostly howls filled the room in a deafening calamity as they closed in.

Cherry's eyes glowed as she let out her psionic shockwave on the onslaught of Daemons. Most of them succumbed to the terrifying flashes of their former life flashing before their eyes, and began to zoom in a circle around them. The rest became confused, and could not tell friend from foe.

"What are you doing!? Get them! Get them NOW!" said Azmos furiously.

"Kat," said Cherry. "I want you to hit them with all the ice spells you have."

"No problem Captain," he said.

Cherry knew Kat very well. Well enough to know that he was marvelously incompetent at magic spells. So he did exactly as she expected him to and began to hurl balls of fire at the enemies.

The fire was very effective, and when he defeated one, it would disappear completely.

"The ice is working!" said Kat.

"Keep going, I'll hold the rest at bay!"

"You cretins! You will pay for- AHHH!" Azmos cried out as a large psi-blade protruded from his chest. In the confusion, Regina managed to sneak in and strike him.

She pulled it out slowly, and he limped.

"No… I won't be defeated… that easily…" he said, pulling out a dagger and stabbing himself with it.

"That's a thorn blade!" said Cherry.

Regina stepped back as Azmos began to emit a netherworld green glow. Azmos stood up straight and turned at her.

"Foolish woman!" he said. "You will pay!"

His eyes emitted a green fire, and suddenly a dark pool appeared under her feet. From inside, dark tendrils wrapped around her hands and ankles, binding her to that spot.

"Kat!" said Cherry. "Help Gina, I got this!"

Kat ran to them, and hurled a ball of liquid-looking fire at Azmos. The fire should have torn right through him, but instead hit him, and died out. Azmos turned and snarled at Kat.

"And you can join her!" he said making the same tendrils appear under him.

Regina struggled against the tendrils, and manifested the psi-blade again. With a little movement on her wrist she moved the blade enough to connect with the tendrils on her arm. The tendrils severed, and she cut herself free.

Azmos returned his attention to her, and she darted across to Kat, dodging something pitch black that he threw at her.

With two swipes, she cut the tendrils off him. Azmos wildly shot the dark matter at both of them. Regina swerved, narrowly dodging each blast, trying to get close enough to strike. Kat blocked these attacks with large cubes of ice, which he probably thought was his fire shield.

Regina closed in, and slashed vigorously at him. The wounds were deep, but he did not falter. He reached out to grab her, and she somersaulted over his head and slashed his back. When he turned, more fireballs hit him in the back.

Furiously, he chanted a spell, and to Regina, all the lights went out. With Regina temporarily blinded, he turned his attention to Kat again. He unleashed a Dark Torrent, in the form of a wave at Kat, and violently threw him across the room and into the wall knocking him out.

He turned back to Regina who was cautiously walking away, trying not to run into anything. Azmos casted another spell and released her from the darkness at the same time. Regina turned around, and noticed a very large skull coming at her. She put her arms up, but was not able to get her energy shield up in time, and the skull went through her like a ghost.

She instantly felt sick when it hit her. She felt like something was inside her body, draining her of energy. Azmos was smiling cruelly at her, and she understood what was happening.

Her blood was being magically drained, and being fed to him. She ran at him desperately, trying to break his concentration, but she was feeling weaker with every step. She toppled over by his feet, breathing shallowly.

"Azmos!" they heard Cherry call out. Azmos turned and shot her a furtive look.

She pointed at him and said," Kill him!"

The ghosts that were circling her, changed course and swarmed Azmos.

"No you fools! Kill her, not me! Get away!" He said, batting them off.

They ripped and tore at him, some using their ghostly chill to hurl shards of ice. Azmos flailed around, destroying as many as he could. When they began to overwhelm him, Cherry took the opportunity to get over to Kat, and check on him.

He was still breathing, and she sensed he was still alive. She heard Azmos cry out at the top of his lungs, and looked to see him let out a large nova of dark matter on all the ghosts, destroying them.

Cherry stared at him a moment. He was breathing heavily, and was slashed all over. She knew he was severely weakened from that, and could possibly beat him alone.

"Is that all you got?" she said putting her arms out. "Pretty pathetic if you ask me."

"I…" he said, breathing heavily. "Shall tear you… asunder!"

"Oh, but you seem to have forgotten something," she said as he snarled at her. "You seem to have forgotten to kill your victim. Bad news for you…"

At first he didn't know what she meant, but he took a side glance down and didn't see Regina's body on the floor.

"No, "he said. "How could she-" he tried to say, but was abruptly cut off by, Regina's blade stuck in his neck.

Regina, breathing shallowly, stays in that position for a short while. She angrily shoves the blade in deeper, making Azmos twitch. She lets go of the blade and staggers weakly for a moment before the both of them crumple over.

Cherry runs over to her and says," Gina! What happened?"

"Bastard… sucked the… blood right… out."

Cherry gives her a stim-pack and says," I'm surprised you could stand after that."

"Yea… I'm gonna need… some time…" she coughs.

"Take all the time you need. I'll go wake up Kat, and we'll check on the rest of the team."

----------------------------------------------

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" said Kayain shrugging his shoulders. "You're not _that_ scary you know."

"Foolish human," growled the Envoy. "You have no idea of the power you are dealing with."

"First off, I'm not a full human, I'm part Q'Hagian. I'm sure an all powerful being like yourself would have known that. Second, I 'ain't afraid of you 'cause I've already vanquished plenty of demons in my time. I'm the wielder of the Vindicator weapon you know."

"Ah…" said the Envoy as if he realized something. "You speak of Covatus, and Regulis. They spoke once of the 'Vindicator' who banished them. But I can assure you, I am not the same as them."

"And I can assure you that the outcome will be no different."

"We shall see, Vindicator. Draw your weapon."

"Uh… I, uh, don't _need_ a weapon to beat you! Ha! I'm gonna tear you a new one with my own two hands!"

"No weapon?" he laughed. "So be it, Vindicator. This will be your last mistake."

"Guys," Kayain said quietly to the group. "Demons keep popping out of that portal. Can any of us shut it down?"

"I can," said Cadao. "I will need some concentration though."

"It's risky, but we have no other choice," said Kayain. "They aren't going to stop coming out, and if we get overwhelmed, we won't be able to stop him… Proto, I want you, Biggs, Lu Bu, and Tylar to get over there and keep Cadao safe. Lady Darkness, keep us nice and healthy where you can. The rest, we got the big guy."

They all agreed. Kayain said," Now let's get in the first strike… Hey look! A distraction!"

Surprisingly a few demons turned to the direction Kayain pointed. In that moment, they charged.

"Kill them," growled the Envoy.

The two groups clashed.

Talley, the expert demon hunter, moved in fast with his own demonic speed, dodging the fire that was thrown at him from all sides. He struck fast and furiously at the demons blocking his pathway to their master.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a large group of demons pouring fire on a figure nearby. The figure turned out to be Horn Head, and he took a leap over the jet of fire, and pummeled the demons mercilessly.

Biggs changed weapons to the freeze ray that Tylar had made him. A fireball caught him in the arm, and he swore loudly and in his own language. He continued to swear as he began to chuck specialty grenades at them. Some grenades were smoke grenades, some were web grenades, and some were flash grenades. One couldn't help but notice that when Biggs fired like mad, and tossed explosives that he became more and more oily. The demons noticed this when one tried to grab him, and he slipped out like a greasy pig. He responded by jamming his combat knife into the demon's foot, and rifle butting it's shins.

"There!" said Tylar as he pointed to an opening to the Portal. "Come on!"

The five of them ran to the portal. Tylar, and Biggs, shooting a few that tried to block the way.

"We're here," said Tylar. "Cadao, do your magic…whatever."

"I'm on it," he said.

"Looks like I need to use this…" said Tylar as he tapped a button on his power armor's wrist.

From his wrist armor, a cube came out and landed on the floor. He picked it up and pressed a button on it, opening a side. He reached in and tossed a few more cubes, which instantly transformed into human size mechs.

"Whoa," said Proto. "What _are_ those?"

"Aren't those your cleaner-bots?" said Lu Bu.

"Err," he said sheepishly. "Yes they are… only I did a little adjusting…"

The largest robot, which was the arbiter bot said," Error, error, syntax, code fruit… Processing milk, beep, beep, loading… Error, out of beef toner, please insert chicken."

None of them could really understand what any of that meant, but Tylar seemed pleased.

"Now my minions," he said. "Clean!"

The robots opened fire with laser weapons, rockets, and flamethrowers.

"Holy, moley," said Biggs. "Wha' the hell did ye do ter 'em?"

"Just a small mod chip is all."

"Mod, chip, processing," said the bot. "Code 432-Cow-99. Processing all mod potato chips."

"Aye, a small improvement," said Biggs. "Jus' do me a favor an' never _ever_ volunteer those wretched things ter clean me room."

"We still have more coming," said Lu Bu. "Gonna have a full trophy room after this."

Kayain kicked a demon hard in the midsection, throwing him back into several others. He knocked a few more away, but they continued to flank him. Soon, they all circled him as he said," You should probably give up. As you can see, I've got you all surrounded!"

They closed in, and Kayain smiled. He was feeling good at that moment, and suddenly felt much better. He felt a surge in adrenaline, and clarity in his mind to focus completely on the task. He looked to the cause of this and saw Lady Darkness finishing a spell. He grinned widely and gave her a thumbs up.

The only kind of sensation like this that he had felt before was when he was using his weapon. It felt like the battle was going in slow motion, and he was the only one going fast.

Fireballs came at him at a snail's pace, and their claws struck at him like an old man batting a fly. He artfully dodged them and shattered bones with his bare hands.

He felt nothing was going to stop him. That was until he saw the gigantic jet of flame, shooting at him in slow motion.

The fire jet had a face at the end of it, looking as if it was in agony. Kayain had only seconds to move, but knew he was going to take the hit.

Just in time, Horn Head leapt in front of Kayain, taking the full hit of the fire, and getting knocked back into the wall.

Lady Darkness rushed to Horn Head's aid, while Kayain looked at the source of the fire.

The Envoy was standing there, gathering more fire in his hands.

He took a quick moment to look around at the situation. The demons were thinning, and there was no more coming from the portal. Kayain did not want another blast like that, or someone was going to be vaporized.

Kayain charged, dodging the incoming fireballs from his sides. He looked straight into the eyes of the beast as he took a leap towards him. The beast grinned, and released the fire already in his hands at Kayain.

Kayain was hit square in the chest by the shot, and was thrown back. Using his meditative training, he dulled the pain, and flipped back on his feet.

Looking at his wound, he noticed that the adrenaline boost he received even boosted his regeneration to a startling level. The burned skin was already gone within seconds, and Kayain knew that the fire should have torn a large hole in his torso area, but it was gone.

Smiling, he charged again, knocking away the lesser demons that stood between them.

The two exchanged hits, Kayain hitting all the vitals on it's rock hard skin, while the Envoy tore at Kayain, which healed almost as quickly as he was getting hit.

They fought such savage ferocity that one could not tell which one seemed to hate who the most. They seemed locked in a brutal trance fighting until only one would stand. However Kayain was beginning to feel the boosted adrenaline wearing off.

Completely unaware of what else was going on around them, a third fighter came in. Talley charged in with demonic speed, and began his own assault of dark energy attacks.

Kayain took a step back, and felt woozy. He knew the effects were already gone, and he had expended a lot of effort there. He took a moment to catch his breath, and heard Horn Head behind him say," We've got the rest of them. They sealed the portal, so let's all get him."

Within seconds, the Envoy had all of them teamed on him. The Envoy knew he was going to get overwhelmed, and relied on his fire. He folded his arms and stood defensively while taking hits. Fire built up all around it's body.

Kayain realized what he was doing, and said," Take cover!"

No sooner had he said that, then the Envoy released a devastating nova attack using a combination of negative energy and fire. Everyone was violently thrown out and slammed hard into the wall. Large boulders came crashing down from the ceiling, and chunks of the walls tore off.

Kayain slammed into a small pillar, knocking it over. He blinked, dazed, and looked around at the devastation. He saw the Envoy picking up an unconscious Biggs, ready to crush his skull.

He ran as fast as he could to rescue him, but the Envoy saw him coming, and tossed Biggs at him like a rag-doll.

Kayain didn't know how seriously injured Biggs was already, but he didn't want him to get hurt any more if he was still alive. He braced himself and caught Biggs, and they both toppled over.

The Envoy charged at them, and halted abruptly. It howled and reached around and pulled out Lu Bu's war axe from his back. It turned around to see Lu Bu had thrown the axe and was calling him out.

Kayain put Biggs on the ground and went to aid Lu Bu. Talley, Horn Head, and Lady Darkness had managed to avoid major injury, and were back in the fight. Lady Darkness went to heal the injured, while the others continued.

"Don't let up!" said Kayain as they continued their assault.

The Envoy was struggling now. He was loosing energy fast with this many people hitting him.

The Envoy gave a mighty swing and pushed the fighters away. Panting, he began to gather more fire. Then he was interrupted by none other then Biggs, who came flying at him like a very angry bullet, knocking him down.

"Keep him down!" said Kayain, sensing the opportunity.

All the very strong heroes held down his limbs, while the others used their powers to help keep him down.

"Cadao! Where the hell are you?!"

"Here," he said escorted by Lady Darkness. "That will do. Let us begin the banishing."

Kayain nodded and turned back to the Envoy and looked him in the eyes again and said," I _told_ you this would be no different. Say hello to your buddies for me."

With that, the banishment began. The Envoy of Shadow would never again walk the earth.

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Somewhere in another place, another time, and another dimension, the gods dwelled.

They no longer existed in the regular planes of mortals, as they were no longer used. Yet they lingered on, as an icon of the past.

'Let the Creator handle things now,' some said. 'They seem to love Him more nowadays anyway, Jesus…'

Others would say,' Who were you talking about, the Creator or Jesus? I wasn't paying attention.'

To which they would reply,' No, no I was simply stating an annoyance.'

Some would then quip,' And how about that Buddha? How did _he_ get more popular than me?'

Then they would retort,' It's these college kids, with their heads full of ideals and such… nonviolence my ass!'

Of course, everyone knew that one was from Odin, who reacted insanely violent to any minor annoyance.

They, of course, did not mind so much anymore as they used to. It overall meant that they were no longer having to act as middle management; pretending to have shaped the world and blaming other gods when things went wrong. It also meant that no more underlings would be reporting to them, and handing them status reports, which to them sounded like a pretty good idea.

These days, slack off time was pretty much one hundred percent of the time, and made peace with other forgotten gods of old. But sometimes they would go back to the realm of man, and check to see if man hadn't already completely destroyed themselves. And sometimes, they would meet people and bring them back as guests. Some of the gods tend to crave other company, especially having to put up with Odin all day long for eternity.

"_Are you sure this is how it's done?_" said Death. "_It all seems rather complicated to me._"

"**Of course it is**," said the mighty voice of War. "**Didn't I tell you? I _made_ the game 'Allies and Axis', so I think I'd know how it's done.**"

"This is fine," said Odin. "As long as we can get the slaughter done faster, I'm game."

"I'll take any third world country," said Famine. "I gotta show pride in my job you know… and speaking of being starved, I wouldn't say no to your roast chicken Ferimore."

The woman Ferimore was a tall, handsome, Valkyrie. She smiled and said," You're very welcome to it." She throws a nasty look at Hermes and says," At least _someone_ likes my seared chicken."

"I get Europe," said the raspy voice of Pestilence. "Had some of my finest work there."

"**Yes, we all know,**" said War, rolling his eyes. "**Blah, blah, blah, Bubonic Plague this, and that. You've told us a thousand times.**"

"Well it _was_," said Pestilence. He whispered to Zeus," He's just jealous because I'm the leading cause of death in the world today."

"_It really does seem like there's a lot of rules here… Lots of game pieces and stuff. How do I know you're just not trying to cheat?_"

"**Come now, Mort. Do you think that _I_ need to cheat Death?**"

"_In a way, yes._"

"Don't be silly, Morty," said Ferimore. "I've played this game plenty of times, and it's pretty hard to understand, but it's definitely worth playing. Isn't that right Zeus?"

"Yea, yea," he said in a less than amused voice.

"He gets moody if I beat him," she whispers to Death.

"I heard that," said Zeus.

"So," she says quickly to Death, War, Pestilence, and Famine. "Glad the whole crew could make it. How's business lately?"

"**Booming,**" said War.

"_Work's never done,_" said Death.

"Smallpox is making a comeback, you'll see!" said Pestilence.

"Mmm," said Famine with a full mouth of chicken. "I can _never_ get enough of this… I'm getting pretty popular in Africa these days."

"I'm glad you boys are doing well," she said kindly.

Death's pager began to beep. He looked at the screen, and said," _Ah, please forgive me everyone. Duty calls._"

They all groaned and Odin said," Come on! You just got here!"

"_No can do. This one is very important. I've got to carry out something that could very well be the downfall of man._"

They all made dismissive remarks as if it weren't _that_ important.

"**Oh, one of _those_ is it? Need any help?**"

"_Not at the moment… but if it is indeed time for us to ride out, I'll page you, or send you an e-mail. Did you get a blackberry?_"

"'**Course I did. Gotta keep up with the times right?**"

"_If there is a 'times' after this._"

"Oh, Morty, can I come and see?" said Ferimore. "I'm qualified for a delivery aren't I?"

"One of my top agents, Ferimore," said Odin.

Death thought about this a moment and said," Well I guess so. It's been a long while since you delivered hasn't it?"

"Very long. They just don't make warriors like they used to."

"_In that case, I shall return later with Ferimore. I'll catch up later when we play Poker._"

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Danyel entered Lilitu's inner sanctum alone. The room was as wide and as tall as a Church temple… but the scenery could not be farther from a church settings.

Human bones littered the walls as decorations. Unholy symbols were carved all over the floor, and some were written in blood. A smell Danyel did not recognize was coming from a fire was burning in the back, which looked like an oversized fireplace.

But in the very center was a depression, the size of a small swimming pool. The pool was filled to the top with blood.

There were red skinned women all around Danyel, smiling hungrily at him. When he looked at one, he saw they had horns and a tail with a point at the end. He recognized them as Succubus.

They began cooing at him and beckoning him to come to them. He stood resolutely and said," Where is she? Lilitu, come out. I have what you want."

A figure began to rise from the center of the pool. It was Lilitu, still using Diana's body.

"Ah, my dear husband," she said. "You look distressed my dear. Have you not seen your wife's body before? From what I read in her mind, you have quite the sex drive."

This did not bother him as much as the kind of things she was using Diana's body for. The thought of her using Diana's body to swim in a pool of blood sickened him, but strengthened his resolve in getting Lilitu banished.

"What I do with my wife in private is really none of your business," said Danyel.

"He really is a beautiful man," said one of the Succubuses. "When do we get to play with him?"

"In time," said Lilitu. "And if you're lucky Wizard, we'll find out soon enough about your ability to please a woman."

Danyel knew their idea of pleasure was portrayed on the walls, and he had no intention of playing any games with them.

He reached in his robe and pulled out a book. "Here," he said. "The Mak' Havat-Oran is on page one sixty two. Then you will hand me her soul in a transfer crystal and I will be on my way."

"Oh?" said Lilitu. "You really think we'll let you just walk away? I will not bring harm to you, but my sisters on the other hand are quite beyond my control."

"That much I knew. I intend on killing them all."

They giggled at his comments, but he continued," And furthermore, you will not have that body for much longer. One of my friends intends to liberate it from you."

"Friends?" said Lilitu. "Unless I'm much mistaken Wizard, you are the only one here. No one but a powerful wizard could break my barrier, and the only wizard I sense nearby is standing _inside_ the barrier."

"Then you are much mistaken," said Danyel calmly.

Suddenly a large ring of fire emerged around Danyel and formed a birdcage shape. Lilitu said," Stay put little Wizard. I want you to watch this…"

A cauldron appeared in the fireplace, and seemed to be already filled with bubbling liquid. Lilitu read the instructions, and the other Succubae around her came and went with different ingredients.

As the instructions directed, it needed time in the moonlight, and she hovered the cauldron to the area at the head of the pool. She raised her hands to the sky, and a large tile on the ceiling parted, revealing the moonlight.

The moonlight shone brightly over the cauldron, and Lilitu said, "Excellent… Now, bring forth the final ingredient."

One of the Succubae brought her an odd twisted root. Lilitu threw it in, and watched the contents turn from green to red.

She inhales the scent and says," It is done. Now Wizard Danyel, watch as your dear sweet wife is painfully expelled from her own body!"

Danyel did not move or flinch, he watched intently.

Lilitu took a goblet and scooped up the potion. "I think," she said. "That you need to be closer to see."

Danyel and the cage around him flew across the pool and landed in front of them.

Lilitu smiled and downed the entire goblet. Everyone went quiet, waiting for the transformation to begin.

Nearly a minute went by and nothing happened.

"What is this?" she said. "Why has nothing happened? I have taken more then enough needed."

"Ah, it seems you have made a mistake," said Danyel.

"I made no mistakes Wizard."

"On the contrary," he said dismissing the fire cage with a wave of his hands. "It seems you _did_ make a mistake."

"And that would be?"

Danyel approaches the cauldron and sticks his finger inside. He licks his finger to get a taste and smiles.

"You have made a very stupid mistake," he repeated. "Your mistake was trusting I'd be dumb enough to bring my copy of the Neritombe. What you have is a very clever copy, designed to be hurtful, not helpful."

Lilitu looked livid. Danyel continued," And what you have here is not the complicated potion of Mak' Havat-Oran, but a seriously complicated way of making Kool-aid."

He stuck his finger in again and said," Mmm, I have to say, adding the Ginger at the end there added a bit of a spicy flavor. Not bad though."

"Wizard! You will pay for this!"

"Hold that thought," he said reaching into his robe. "You're missing an ingredient, and I just so happen to have it."

He pulled out a cube identical to the one Tylar used to store his robots. When Danyel pressed the button, out came Infernal, looking very upset.

"It looks a lot bigger on the inside," said Infernal.

"Ah, and here he is," said Danyel as he pointed to Infernal. "The missing ingredient. One full serving of ass-kicking."

"NO!" said Lilitu. "How is this possible?"

"Technology, bitch," said Danyel. "Ready Infernal?"

Infernal used his powers to summon a horde of his own behemoths loyal only to him.

All the other Succubuses readied themselves, and looked to Lilitu for orders. She said," Don't just stand there! Kill them!"

The clash began. Fire and dark energy flew in all directions. Danyel used his wind techniques to toss the Succubae everywhere, and his fire techniques to paralyze and immobilize them.

He threw them left and right as easy as waving his hands. But he did not watch where he was going, and turned around and was face to face with Lilitu.

He did not react. He knew if he did something to her, he would be hurting Diana greatly. So his hesitation costed him a very large gash in his face, and eye.

Danyel, temporarily blinded, staggered back, and received a freezing cold push that slammed him against the wall.

He couldn't see, but he could feel that he was stuck in ice on the wall.

The bitter cold was quickly sapping away at his energy. He concentrated hard on the need to break free, and his need to help Diana as quickly as possible. The ice around him began to melt, and he slowly broke out of the ice.

When he hit the ground, he felt his face, and knew the scratches were very bad. He resolved to use his magical gift to act temporarily as his eyes. While doing this, he spotted someone very familiar.

"Oh, Morty, he's looking at us!" said a very tall and strong looking woman.

"_I expect he is Ferimore. He is a wizard after all._"

"I _thought_ he was. The pointy hat is just a dead giveaway."

Danyel looked at them a moment and said," Oh, it's _you_."

Death sighs and shakes his head as he says, "_Why is no one ever happy to see me?_"

"Gee, I can't imagine," said Danyel.

"Morty, is this our client?"

"And, you are?" asked Danyel.

"_This ravishing and gentle woman is Ferimore._"

Danyel doubted the gentle part, but recognized her outfit," Oh, you're a Valkyrie… Does this mean I'm going to Valhalla?"

"Err," she said looking a bit confused. "Is he?"

"_It is not for me to say,_" said Death. "_What I can say though is your options, Wizard Danyel, are very clear. You can come with me if your team fails, or you can hand me Lilitu. I don't have a problem with either, but do try and hurry. If we hurry we still have time for Texas Hold 'em._"

"For _what_?"

"_Never you mind sir… Rock._"

Danyel sensed something flying fast at him, and ducked his head just in time for a large chunk of rock to pass over his head.

When he looked toward the battle scene, his senses only saw one person. Infernal. He knew Lilitu was there, but using Diana's anti-magic ability, he was unable to see her.

"Would you strike me down Infernal? Would you strike down your own mother?"

"You…" he began. "Horrible monster… I want nothing to do with you! As far as I'm concerned, I HAVE NO MOTHER!"

Infernal's axe blazed with the fury and hatred he reserved just for her. She laughed and said," You cannot change who you are my son. Just like you cannot truly change your nature. In time you will come to realize this."

"I will NEVER become like you!"

"Oh, but you are planning on killing me aren't you? And to do that, you must kill this woman first."

Danyel waited a moment to see what Infernal was going to do. But Infernal simply said," Again, you are wrong. I've become much stronger since last we met. My axe will cleave the souls of my enemies!"

Infernal charged, and Lilitu tried ice to restrain him, but Infernal tore through it as if it wasn't even there.

He swung as hard as he could into Diana's mid-section, and for Danyel, time almost seemed to stand still.

But then, the oddest thing happened. From Danyel's magical view, he saw the axe go completely through and it carried along a dark spirit.

The dark spirit, he recognized as Lilitu as it screamed in agony from being torn so violently from it's body. The spirit zoomed around the room, screaming like a banshee, until it took a form similar to the Spectral Daemons.

"My plans! Ruined!" it howled. "You will pay! I will kill the woman myself!"

Lilitu took flight toward Diana's limp form on the floor. Danyel recited an incantation as fast as he could. Infernal stepped between the two, his axe at the ready.

Lilitu descended upon Infernal, dodging his axe, clawing and biting at him. She was able to knock out the axe from his hands, and knock him to the floor. Infernal tried in vein to push her away, but he could not touch her in her ghostly form. Lilitu reached her claw inside Infernal's chest, and he began struggling frantically as she reached for his heart.

"_-and I beseech thee, to bind this evil spirit back to the depths from whence it came-_" said Danyel in another language.

Infernal struggled painfully as Lilitu attempted to tear his heart out from within, when suddenly, Lilitu retracted and screeched in pain.

"-_I summon thee, Death!_" continued Danyel. "Strike her down now!" he said in English.

Infernal didn't need telling twice. He rolled over, picked up his axe, and swung it around in one swift motion.

The axe cleaved straight through, parting the ghost in two at the stomach. With a final banshee screech, the ghost of Lilitu was dispatched from the world.

Infernal, breathing heavily, looked at Danyel and asked," Did we get her?"

Danyel stood immobile. He looked around suspiciously in case he did something wrong.

The familiar figure of Death stood silhouetted in the corner in the company of a very angry looking spirit. He flashed Danyel a shrewd looking grin, and stepped quietly into the darkness followed by the spirit.

"Yes," he said finally. "We got her for now. At least until one of those Circle of Morons resummons her- Oh, Diana!"

Danyel quickly runs to where Diana is, and lifts her gently in his arms.

"Is she-" Infernal begins, but does not finish.

Danyel is staring intently at her, as though looking at something Infernal can't see. He whispers," Diana. Di, babe, over here. I know you can hear me. Come to my voice. Please, follow my voice."

Minutes pass with nothing happening. Infernal stays quiet, wondering if his axe had taken her soul along with Lilitu's.

Danyel embraces her and says," You can come out now Di. She's gone. We took care of her."

Suddenly, Danyel's eyes began to glow as if he was in a trance, and his body emitted a blue aura.

Diana's appearance began to change as this happened. Her whole body emitted a bright white aura, and her hair changed color to a bright white color as well.

Infernal stood in awe at the sight. He had never seen anything more beautiful then this.

After what seemed like hours, Diana began to draw breath as if she were underwater a long time.

Danyel looked to her and said," Diana… Welcome back."

"Danyel," she said in an ethereal sounding voice. "My love... I cannot express, in this short time, how happy I am to see you again… It's been too long."

"Indeed it has," said Danyel in a similar ethereal sounding voice.

"Have you found anything for me yet?"

"Not yet dear, but I still search as often as I can for a cure."

"I know you've been working hard my love. I will wait till the end of time for you."

Danyel came close to kiss her. When they did, the aura shone brighter, making Infernal cover his eyes.

Then, as soon as it came, it ended. The light was gone, and both Danyel and Diana seemed to return to normal.

They both looked at each other and embraced again. Infernal cleared his throat loudly and said," I hope everything is ok?"

"I'm doing ok now," said Diana. "It sure was scary though. Thanks for your help mister, uh…"

"Infernal."

"Thanks, Mister Infernal."

"Can you stand?" asked Danyel.

"_And_ lift you up at the same time," she said happily. "Ugh, I'm gonna need a shower. Lilitu didn't take very good care of my body, hygienically."

"Well, yes," said Danyel. "You do reek of farm animals and blood. We'll get you cleaned up. Shall I put an anti-stink barrier around you?"

"It probably wouldn't work anyway. Besides, I'd like to give Cherry a big hug all smelly like this. You know, just to say thanks for all the help."

"I'm sure she'd appreciate that."

Infernal opens the doors, and they find that the others are already waiting on the outside.

"Glad to have you back, Di," said Cherry. "And no you will not hug me until you shower."

"Guess you heard that eh?"

"Heard? I was pretty much in the room with you the whole time, remember?"

"You were?" said Danyel skeptically.

"Of course I was," she said, putting her arms out. "Didn't you wonder why Lilitu became paralyzed before she reached Diana? That was me. Infernal, didn't you hear a little voice in your head, telling you where to swing the axe? Also me."

"But how did you get past the barrier?"

"Ah, that was not a foolproof barrier. Lilitu was a bit arrogant about her barrier. She only put it so that no mortal can go past, so I was using astral projection to- Ok, _now_ what's funny Kayain?"

"Heh, heh, you said Ass-hole Protection."

She stares at him for a moment and says," Kayain, you are so very hard to look at right now… So like I was saying, I used a few tricks to get in unnoticed and help you out."

"Really?" said Danyel. "You managed to get past barriers that way?"

"Yup," she said as a large grin grew on her face. "I totally kicked magic's ass today."

"That must make you like the greatest Wizard ever," said Proto-man.

"Witch," she corrected.

"I don't know _which_, just that you're probably the best Wizard out of _any_ of them," he said as she frowned at him.

"Well, I suppose you did help a little," admitted Danyel. "Only don't let it get to your head, it was only once."

"Oh, yea, sure thing Dan."

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Several days had passed after the incident with Diana. The mystics from M.A.G.I. came in after to clean up the remains and cave in the temple for good.

They had a little party the day after, and to Danyel's annoyance Cherry was still very smug and proud of herself.

"I know you think you were in total control there," said Danyel. "But really, the witch hat has to go."

"Why?" asked Cherry. "I think I look good in this hat."

"Ga-damn straight," said Kayain. "Looks pretty sexy to me."

"But you're _not_ a witch!" said Danyel as he threw his hands up.

"She still looks cute in that little hat," said Diana.

Cherry didn't get rid of the hat. She decided it was a souvenir for that day, so she kept it.

"You're not still upset about this hat are you?" she asked days later.

"No, something else was bothering me," said Danyel.

"What is it?"

"Are you going to read my mind?"

"No. If you don't want me to know, I won't."

"It's nothing like that, it's just… Well when we defeated Lilitu, Diana's _other_ half came out again."

"Oh…"

This information pertained to Diana's past. Danyel recalled the memory of what her mother had told him.

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Danyel was with Diana's mother in the living room. He was pale, and sick with worry, while she looked no different.

"This is bad," she said. "I can't believe they found her this way…"

"Can you tell me what's going on? What happened to Diana, and why are there people trying to kill her?"

Diana's father came down and said," She's ok now, she's just getting some rest."

"Good," she said.

"What's going on? Who were those people who attacked us?" repeated Danyel.

Diana's parents exchanged glances and her mother said," Danyel, do you remember when I told you about how the mages wanted to kill her at birth?"

"Are you saying they're _still_ trying to kill her?"

"Yes, they are. When they found out about her powers, they tried many spells against me to kill her inside the womb. I thwarted them, but at a heavy cost…"

Danyel didn't like where this was going. He knew her power was already feared, but Diana's not the kind of person who would go around using it for the wrong reasons. Unfortunately no one else but them knew of Diana's kindness, her gentile demeanor, and playful and almost child-like outlook on life.

"What happened," he asked solemnly.

"When they attempted to kill her, I was almost too late… Instead, her soul split into two parts."

"Soul… split… what does that mean?"

"Sometimes, do you see a change in her? A radical change in her personality that is so brief that you wonder where that came from?"

"Yea, I did."

"Her abilities and powers reside in the other half of her soul, which is why she is unable to completely control her power, but from time to time you will see her use it out of reflex."

"Which is what I saw today."

"Yes. And you also saw her transform?"

"Her hair turned white, and she had a yellowish glow again."

"She was born with white hair, you know. She inherited all my mother and grandfather's features… but above all, she gained my grandfather's power of anti-mana manipulation. Whatever they did, they altered her power to what it is today…"

"I know your grandfather used both sides of magic… Shouldn't that mean that Diana has the same power?"

"She would have, if only they didn't try to mess with her at birth. In doing so, they _created_ the thing they feared the most."

"That's awful…"

"We had to hide her from those who would do her harm, so that's why we came here. Unfortunately they found us, and attempted to finish what they started."

"Who are they?"

"It is difficult to say for sure. I have not looked very deeply into the matter, since there is a very large group that crave her death."

"Damn it… Well what about Diana? You said her soul is split. Does this mean I'm not actually talking to the real 'Diana'?"

"Rest assured Danyel, you are talking to the 'real' Diana, but not the 'full' Diana. She still has a side of her that you've only seen a glimpse of."

"Is there anything that we can do to undo the damage?"

She shakes her head and says, "This kind of magic is beyond even me Danyel. I'm sorry."

Danyel stood and looked determinedly at her and said," If that's the case, then I'll just have to search for the answer myself. Even if it means going to the ends of the galaxy and back. I _will_ find a cure for her."

Diana's mother smiled, a bit teary eyed, and hugged him.

"I'm so glad you're going to be part of the family…"

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"So," said Cherry. "You were able to revive Diana, talked to her other half, and still have no clue on how to reunite her soul?"

"Not a clue… I've been looking from all the magic books for anything at all," said Danyel.

This was very true. He had inadvertadely gained so much wizarding knowledge that he became High Arch-Mage because of it.

Truth be told, he didn't care that much for the title. He just wanted to get Diana fixed and be done with it, and would wait till after she was better to begin to take advantage of his title.

"I see, so you're a little down because you got a glimpse, and couldn't keep it eh? To bad."

"Something like that, I suppose."

"Well, I've had lots of experiences like that."

"Yea, I suppose you have," he said thoughtfully.

"But hey, I'm still doing allright. I mean I always try and look on the bright side. Take today for example. I'm in a particularly good mood today because several things good happened."

"What happened?"

"Well, I just found out Proto-man has caught the flu, and won't be coming around for a while. Lu Bu stunk up the bathroom by Biggs room, and he cleared out for the day. In the meantime Biggs went power shoping for the team and brought a fine stash of wines, beer, and other alcohols that I like. Solo has taken to his usual Salongo nature and gone out to fight crime… And to top of this wonderful day, Kayain somehow managed to seal his lips together with Krazy Glue. I had, and I'm not kidding, five full hours of Kayain-free silence."

"Sounds like a good day for you is a misurable day for others."

"I know, it seems so wrong dosen't it?"

"Does your buttered bagel taste any less delicious?"

"Nope," she said, taking a large bite from her bagel. "In fact it tastes extra good now."

"Congratulations, you're a sociopath."

"It feels kind of nice."

They both stopped a moment and sensed someone coming toward their room through the barriers they set up. They waited for a moment, then the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," she said. "I'm on a roll here, so it's probably more good news. Maybe Kat nailed himself to the sky again."

When she answered the door, she was face to face with a grim looking DeVall.

"Ah, so, finally decide you want to come back eh?" she said disapprovingly. "You're gonna have to beg though, I don't appreciate you leaving like that without telling us."

"I will," he said. "But at the moment, I'm reporting from Valentine…"

"Ok, come in. Why didn't she come here herself?"

"She sent me ahead to tell you… Oh man…"

"_Out with it_," she said psionically to him.

"Yes, ma'am. Well here's how it went…"

----------------------------------------------

"Aegis…" said Cherry in a low and deadly voice.

"Valentine and Ken are trying what they can with Admiral Odo, but they sent me in to tell you to be aware of this. And yes, I'm very sorry about what I did. I just didn't expect all that happened. I thought I would be in and out for one evening, then- oh my God, please don't kill me…" he added after she shot him a look.

"Why… Why is it whenever I get a bit of happiness around here it gets shot down within minutes? And as for you! You're really in the doghouse now!"

----------------------------------------------

Tylar looked down at the little doghouse on the floor in the living room. He smiled brightly at DeVall and said," Your first mistake was of course leaving without permission. Your next mistake was assuming Cherry was speaking metaphorically."

"Do me a favor and shut up," said DeVall as he tried to get some sleep.


	8. Chapter 8 Illegal Aliens 1 of 2

**Allright, I probably should use a disclaimer here because some of the characters here are also from fanficnet**

**First and foremost, the usual disclaimer... I own everything. I own City of Heroes and City of Villains. I own you, your family and your pet dog too. When I say I own everything, I mean everything. Because it makes so much sense for me to write fanfiction of my own stuff. I rock.**

**With that said, Here's a few things that I will make an exception for: RaneMetal owns Bard, Tempest, Sentry, Eden, and Widow. He has some great stories here in fanficnet under "The Brotherhood of Justice," Check em out.**

**Also DanielThorne owns Ari. His story is also in fanficnet under "The Abdictation of Daniel Thorne"**

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**Chapter 8: Illegal Aliens (1 of 2)**

Deep in the bowels of Paragon City, you will find many of it's deep and dark secrets. Bowels, being the appropriate word, in the sense that most of these secrets just plain stunk.

For one, there is the lost civilization of Orenbega that once flourished where Paragon City now stood. Although Orenbega was destroyed, their people remained as bodiless spirits bent on blowing up something or another.

Next, we have the remains of the Alien invaders, Rikti, Nictus, Kheldian, and Rularu. From all of those alien invaders, the Rikti seemed to make the biggest mess. They had crashed ships sticking right out of the ground, destroyed sections of the city, and the biggest mess was the War Walls, which were built for the sole purpose of keeping the Rikti at bay.

And finally, we have the supergroup bases filling in the rest of the unused soil. One never really put much thought into all this when walking the streets at night. You'd never give it a second thought that you're actually treading on top of a hostile alien base, or a famous supergroup hideout, or even a gigantic cesspool of vengeful souls.

What people did worry about was not _if_, but _when_ they get mugged, are they going to be nearby heroes to save them? Sadly, the people of paragon city tended to plan in a mugging, robbery, or other kinds of assault in their daily 'to do' list. Getting mugged, assaulted, or anything else these days was not really looked upon as a bad thing now. Some people had even made a game of it.

"Yea," said a man in a large group. "I keep a fake wallet in my pocket, and have my real one in my shoes. I recon I've been mugged and saved about, oh… Fifty eight times."

"That's nothing," said another man in the group. "You wanna talk about getting mugged? I happen to live in the apartment area of Kings Row, and boy let me tell you… I've been pulled out of my bed by the Circle of Thorns, mugged by the Skulls, and been knocked unconscious by the Clockwork. All in all I've been harassed over eighty two times… that I can remember. Other times I've been out cold."

"Ha," said an arrogant youth. "I've got you all beat. I've had all that done as well, but on top of that, I owe a countless amount of money to the Family, Crey, and the Sky Raiders. Each shakedown was thwarted, and on the plus side I've gotten about five superheroine's phone numbers. I'm dating three of them at the moment."

Sure enough, they all agreed that he had them beat. On the plus side, they knew it wouldn't be long before the heroines find out about his treachery and abandon him to the mob. Some began to make bets on how long it would be before he was wearing cement shoes.

Little did these people know, that under their feet, there was even more treachery brewing. A vastly large group known as the Council was in a secret underground base plotting…

"So," said Archon Crane. "Is this our 'green light' on my project?"

The overseer, Archon Tenure, looked around the room at the eager looking members and said," If it is ready for testing, then yes. Gather what you need and send me the test results. I've pulled a lot of strings to get this technology funded, so I want to see results."

"You shall not be disappointed commander. Even Lord Recluse himself has gone to great lengths to try and keep this technology his own. We have Archon Xiao to thank for that."

Archon Xiao was not a normal human, he was also infused with a separate corporeal being known as the Nictus.

The Nictus was another alien race that came to the world who, like the Rikti, were only interested on domination and destruction. They were a race of beings made of pure energy. Negative energy to be exact.

Their counterpart race was the Kheldians. They too were energy beings, but not made of negative energy.

The two races were at war with each other. The Kheldians and Nictus had always fought for ages, much like Orenbega and Mu.

In the end Nictus had won, and enslaved the Kheldians. The Kheldians that survived, escaped and ended up on this planet, only to be perused by the Nictus.

One unique ability of theirs was their adaptability and survival instinct. Kheldians and Nictus could travel the astral plane and back without any problems. If a Kheldian or Nictus was in danger of loosing it's life, it could merge with another being, and create a completely new being.

This generally was consensual, since both beings are about to be permanently inseparable with the Kheldian or Nictus as the majority of personality.

But in Archon Xiao's case, and most other Nictus' cases for that matter, the merging had been forced. When the Kheldian, war had taken to this world, the Nictus were discovered by the Council. They were intrigued by these beings, and welcomed them into their ranks, which the Nictus accepted. With this new alliance, the Council swelled in ranks by forcing people to merge with the wounded Nictus. Soon after, they desired more power, and took to using only fragments of nictus to harness the powers they used.

The Council would stop at nothing to use this power to take over the world, while the Nictus dominated the Kheldians, and the astral plane.

Archon Xiao stood up and said," It was nothing, really. I have my spies all over, and there is nothing I cannot find. And speaking of Lord Recluse, he's made some kind of announcement."

"Oh?" said Archon Tenure. "What about?"

"He was talking to lobbyists about the supposed 'attacks' on his precious 'Rogue Isles' by the American Heroes."

"Humph," said Archon Crane. "Lord Recluse is a very cunning man. The man worked with my grandfather back in the late twenties, and I've heard all the stories. However, it's not often he speaks openly of plans against America. I suspect some fallout from this."

"Indeed," said Xiao. "All the better for us. Less of a chance of some meddling heroes to find us out. I believe the newspaper is already printing up the story as we speak."

"Still," said Tenure. "That doesn't mean we'll be careless about this. Heroes will not be looking for us, but they will still be vigilant. The last thing we need here is another incident like Archon Burkholder. The man was brilliant, but was thwarted before he could even carry out his plans."

They all nodded in agreement.

"Xiao," he continued. "You will need to do whatever it takes to get us proper hosts."

Archon Xiao nodded and said," I may need extra troops for this."

"Like I said, 'whatever it takes'."

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Eden Rolt, also known as Fallen Saint, sat quietly in thought, pondering her next move. She sat at a table across from her opponent, with a chessboard sitting on top.

Her opponent was a petit woman that went by the name Cherry, whom she had met by chance a long while back while traveling the astral plane.

Cherry had approached her and asked her if she knew anything about the alien race known as the Rikti. While Eden did in fact have extensive knowledge on them, she did not offer any information without information in turn.

So the woman left, and returned days later. Cherry was able to provide extensive information on several villain groups. Eden then told her what she knew. Eventually the two began to just chat, and though the two had never met in the mortal realm, Eden and Cherry had become regular contacts.

The more information she found out, the more interesting this woman became. She had come from another world, and shared many tales of culture, battle, and romance. She was very intrigued by this woman, and wished she had met her earlier.

When it came to chess, Cherry was something else. The woman would not look a couple steps ahead, but as it seemed, she looked hundreds of steps ahead. And if Eden made a move, it seemed as if hundreds more steps would come into her mind.

She had never known anyone else but herself to think that way. This caused the chess game to last several weeks.

"Let's not make this move last hours," said Cherry.

"You won't win by rushing me," said Eden. "Besides, I could easily take your queen if I wanted to."

"Really?" said Cherry with a slight smile. "Then do it. That is, assuming you don't like your King because I can take him just as easily if you do what I think you're doing."

Eden rubbed her chin and decided on a move.

Cherry's face remained neutral. Eden decided to make conversation now as a distraction," So, how has your team progressed in undoing the Rikti shield?"

"Tylar's missing some key elements. There was a robbery from a D.A.T.A. research school that had some tech they were making for us. Janet Kellum provided us with the info on that. Apparently the theft was conducted by the Council. I don't know what they were specifically looking for, but several important devices and research data was stolen."

"I see," said Eden. "If I come across anything I'll be sure to let you know."

"That would be appreciated," she said as she made a move.

"What is this tech called by the way?"

"'Really-long-scientific-name-that-I-didn't-care-to-learn'."

Eden smiled and said," Perhaps a picture will do instead."

Cherry nodded, and psionically imprinted an image in her mind.

"So are you going to take my queen or what? I'm itching to win this already."

Eden chuckled a bit and said," No, I happen to like my king, thank you very much. You may keep your queen for now."

"That's fine, I'll just have to assassinate him with a rook."

"Now that will be an accomplishment. But I say if the king doesn't notice the large tower on legs sneaking up on him, he probably deserves it."

"Oh…" said Cherry as she looked up. "Someone's waking me… I think it's Kayain… Ah, it is. But what is he… OH GOD NO! Eden, same time next week?"

"Absolutely," she said.

With that, Cherry abruptly left.

Eden too decided it was time to return to her body. She was very glad Cherry was around to provide useful information. With Cherry's help, her group, The Brotherhood of Justice, was able to make tactical strikes on the villain groups of the city.

And in turn, Eden was delighted to find out that her introducing Cherry to Numina helped the Vigilantes against the Circle of Thorns. Cherry was very ecstatic about her victory, and told her, what she considered, a very bias view on how they beat them. By the sound of it, Cherry did all the work, but Eden knew better. Cherry tended to have a bit of a cynical sense of humor, which was understandable considering that all the stories about her teammates were true.

------------------------------------------------

"You rotten bastard!" yelled Cherry as she chased Kayain out of their room soaking wet from head to toe.

Kayain found it was very hard to laugh and run away at the same time, and fell over with Cherry hitting him on the floor.

Diana glanced through the kitchen doorway and said," Ooooh… so _that's_ what you wanted that bucket of ice water for."

Kayain didn't respond. He was too busy getting pummeled by Cherry's fists of fury, and catching his breath between laughs.

"Towel?" said Danyel. "Keep in mind you're wearing a white shirt."

"Woohoo!" said Kayain. "I got a nice view!"

This had helped Kayain a bit, since she now had to hit him while one hand was covering her chest.

"'G mornin' heathens," said Biggs. "Uh oh, Kayain's starnin' early today."

Eventually Cherry went back to her room to dry off, while Kayain still laughed heartily. Everyone else was either getting ready for their day or finishing up breakfast.

"Any news on the Circle?" asked Danyel as he ate a piece of toast.

"Nothing at all so far," said Diana. "But I read that there was a bunch of other bad news."

"Should we be worried?"

"Possibly, but let me wait for Cherry."

"Already here," said Cherry as she came in with a towel wrapped on her head.

"Cold in here isn't it?" said Danyel with a knowing grin.

She stared at him a moment and said," I'll get him back for this."

"Oh, just wait till you hear the news, Cher," said Diana happily. "It seems as though some big bad dude named Lord Recluse is doing stuff in the government."

"Is that so?" said Cherry.

"Who is Lord Recluse?" asked Danyel.

"Do you remember the hero Statesman?" said Cherry. "Lord Recluse is his number one nemesis. He's the only one equal to him in terms of power. Apparently, they knew each other from long ago… Used to be buddies in fact,"

"And then what happened?"

"They had both gained their powers from the exact same source, thus making their power the same. But when they got the powers, one guy went bad, and one went good. So as you can see, this kind of rivalry is pretty personal.

"Then Statesman won their fight, and Recluse went into hiding for a few years, but it turned out he was just biding his time in the Rogue Isles, and waiting for the right moment to come back."

"Yup," said Diana. "It says here in the paper that he's the ruler of the Rogue Isles."

"Is that recent?"

"No, it was back a couple years ago, like Fifty or sixty years. Not completely sure on the exact date."

"Where is this place then?"

"Rogue Isles… Rogue Isles…" Cherry said as she thought for a moment. "Oh, now I remember. Those are a series of Islands, Northwest of this place called the Bermudas… Like 20 to 50 miles off the American coast, but it's not a part of this country at all."

"Really?" said Diana. "You've been doing a lot of reading haven't you?"

"Sadly, I have nothing else better to do when everyone else is gone. Gathering information is something I've gotten good at."

"So this Lord Recluse is ruler of the Rogue Isles? Scary thought, having a villain like that in charge."

"Ha," scoffed Cherry. "Apparently you weren't paying enough attention to my dim-witted grandfather."

"Oh, right…"

"In any case I don't think the citizens of the Rogue Isles are too much worse for the wear."

"Why do you say that?"

"The Rogue Isles got it's name because of a very bad reputation it has. It's official name is the Etoile Islands, but years ago, it used to be a haven for gangsters, pirates, and other villains, since it had no proper government. When they did assemble a government, they still had corruption, smuggling, and other illegal things going on there. The government turned a blind eye to this… as a matter of fact, since they were doing this, criminals from here, went over there and were offered citizenship, and in some cases, diplomatic immunity."

"I see," said Diana. "Looks like this Recluse guy fits right in."

"As for Recluse," continued Cherry. "He pulled a lot of strings to get himself established there. So he's been working all this time to unite and dominate the Rogue Isles under his rule. He and his people are called Arachnos, by the way."

"Recluse, Arachnos…" said Danyel. "What's with all the reference to spiders?"

"An infestation," said Diana as she held the picture of the article up.

Lord Recluse stood on a podium overlooking his people in uniform. Recluse himself wore a smooth black armored outfit, with a black helmet that covered his nose in the front. The most noticeable feature on him was not his eerily glowing eyes, but the eight long and leg-like blades coming from the back of his armor, giving him the appearance of a very big and hideous spider.

Around him was a cadre of men dressed in outfits similar to Recluse's, only with six leg-blades on their armor.

"Gotta admit," said Danyel. "The guy sure knows how to pick a theme and run with it. But like I asked before, should we be worried?"

"I'd have to say so," said Cherry. "The man is running his own separate country right in Paragon City's backyard, and if this doesn't scare you, then you ought to read up on Recluse's history with Statesman."

"Nah," said Danyel. "I'll just take your word for it."

"But I'm serious Dan. If Lord Recluse is on the move again, this means big trouble for Paragon City, mark my words. They've got a ruthless dictator for a leader, and what makes it worse is that he's practically invincible. You can expect something bad from this, I guarantee that."

"I'm not saying I'm not taking this seriously, I'm just saying I'll just rely on you to do my reading for me. You're good at giving summaries."

Before Cherry could say anything, Kayain called out through the door," And she's also good at being so hot in a wet shirt."

"I'm going to get him back for that…" she muttered.

"So, we've Lord Recluse on the loose," said Diana. "Oh, I like the sound of that. Recluse on the loose. Statesman is livid of course. And there was another big issue in the news. The Countess Crey got off."

Cherry and Danyel exchanged glances. Cherry said," Is anyone surprised by this?"

Danyel and Diana shook their heads.

"Only thing they're having her do is parole and community service."

"I'm thinking paid off jury and planted evidence," said Danyel.

"I'm thinking that and a bad judge as well," said Cherry. "But whatever the reason, I'm sure she might be a bit peeved at us."

"Not to worry though, our security is still the same, uptight."

Kayain walks in and said," I heard someone say uptight, are we talking about Cherry again?"

He grinned at Cherry, and surprisingly she grinned back. When she grinned like that it was a bit unsettling to Kayain, and usually meant bad things were about to come his way.

"Uh, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing much," she said, still grinning. "I've decided to plant false memories in your head for my amusement."

"What?!" he said, surprised. "You can't do that, I won't let you!"

"Really? You remember the time we all went snowboarding on the mountains of Iiao?"

"Ha!" he said confidently. "We never did that."

"How about the time I beat you in hand to hand combat?"

"Ohhh, you have sooo never done that, and never will."

"And you remember the fact that you graduated high school?"

"Well, yea I… Wait, what?" Kayain had to think about this one. "That's… hey, I _did_ graduate high-school… Or… Ah-ha, you aren't tricking me this time. I know I passed high school. Right Danyel?"

"I didn't go to high school with you, remember?" said Danyel smoothly. "It was just you and Cherry. I went to Wizarding school… or are you forgetting?"

"No, no, I'm not forgetting, I just… Damn… What happened back then? Aarg! My head hurts!"

Kayain leaves the room shaking his head, and Cherry grins satisfied.

Danyel looks at her as she smugly leans back with a coffee cup in hand and says," You didn't really put any false memories in his head did you?"

Ignoring the question she takes a sip of coffee and says," This might be a good day after all."

------------------------------------------------

Tylar and the people at D.A.T.A. worked steadily on experimental technology that was for breaking the Rikti shield. He fiddled with a wire here and there to test out the durability of the device.

"Nya, Tylar, do you think we should be worried about the quantum copasitator, without the superconducting fibers?" asked Jared.

"I daresay we have no other choice," said Tylar. "Unless we can retake that tech that the Council stole, we'll have to use what we have at the moment. Nonetheless, it's a good trial and error session. We'll just figure out what goes wrong and why first, and then once we reclaim that tech, we'll apply the variables."

"That's assuming, nya, that we even get the tech at all," he said as he put on a pair of tinted goggles.

"I have complete faith in Cherry's ability to get things done," he said matter of factly.

They both stood back with their tinted goggles on. He turned the gun-looking device to the scorched target range where a watermelon sat happily on a table.

"Supposing this experiment goes well and we don't need the tech?" asked Jared.

"Humm," said Tylar as he grabbed the remote. "I would assume then that all my work was for nothing."

Tylar pressed the button and the machine began to charge up with a low humming noise. Lights all over the gun lit it giving it the impression that it was more or less decorated with Christmas lights. The beam charged up, and shot a steady blue stream of energy into the watermelon.

For a few seconds, it did nothing. Both of them took a step closer to see what was happening to the watermelon. It began to shake violently and the table rumbled underneath. They leaned forward to look closer, and the watermelon exploded, throwing it's insides all over them.

Tylar presses a button to shut the machine down, and wipes off the mess.

"I say, that was better than I expected," he said happily.

"Nya, you're right. I mean the last couple times the melon just melted."

"Indeed."

"Fascinating."

"Good, show."

"Top notch."

"Right-o."

"Care for some chess now, nya?"

"Indubitably."

They exited, and threw their dirty lab coats in the hamper. When they came to the main room, they found a large group of people all waiting by the entrance.

"Oh, I can't believe I forgot!" said Jared slapping his forehead. "Galaxy City Tech was giving a tour of D.A.T.A. today. Nya, we were going to show them the things we do here…"

"I see," said Tylar as he stared at the curious looking students. "Galaxy City Tech? Prestigious is it?"

"Best we have here in Paragon City."

"Capital! We need more young brilliant minds in today's society. Let's pray they don't become-" Tylar shuddered at this. "-Psychologists... or Philosophers…"

Jared shuddered as well when he heard this. Jared looked for the teacher, and spotted him talking to Lilly.

"Professor Knaves?" he said.

The professor looked around for who called him. When he saw Jared, his face lit up.

"Jared McCulley? Is that you?"

"Professor Knaves, nya, good to see you!"

The two shook hands and then did a very odd series of handshakes and motions that anyone with any sense would be embarrassed to watch.

"Long time no see Jared," said Knaves. "I see you're doing well here. Promoted to lead in this section I hear?"

"Nya, I certainly have sir. All these people you see, well they all report directly to me."

"Fantastic. I always knew you had promise McCulley. Does my heart good to see my pupils make something of themselves."

"It was all thanks to you sir," said Jared. He looked toward the students and said," Nya, you guys listen to this man, he knows what he's talking about."

"Come on now, Jared, you're embarrassing me. Hey, why don't you show us what you're working on?"

"I'd be delighted… Oh, this is Tylar Thomas, you might know him from-"

"Scientific Weekly!" said Knaves excitedly. He shook Tylar's hand and said," I've read all your articles! Some of my favorites were on Superstring, and the Unified Field Theory. Incredible works."

"Oh," said someone from behind. "He also did the work on the Arena, and helped against the giant winter lord menace."

"Ah, Miss Taylor," said Knaves. "Allow me to introduce you to Miss Betty Taylor, one of my top students."

He introduced a girl, about average height, pretty face, and straight auburn hair. For poor Jared, nerd mode was beginning to kick in again and he began to sweat a little and stutter.

"P-pleasure to meet you, nya,"

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance," said Tylar formally.

Tylar, who had gotten used to seeing pretty girls on a daily basis, didn't kick into nerd mode unless they were nude and trying to shake his hand.

"Pleased to meet you as well," she said to Tylar. "I've read all your articles as well. I think they're brilliant."

"Do you? And you understood them?"

"Oh yes, I hope you can print more?"

"I do believe so, yes," he said, his ego inflating by the second.

"Hey, what about one on that suit you wear? You showed it off in a tech demo, but I'd like to compare-" she said and stopped suddenly.

"Compare? To what?"

"My, er, notes," she said a bit nervously.

Tylar chuckled in amusement and said," Thinking of having a suit of your own? It _would_ be nice, wouldn't it? That is to say, if we could all have a suit like that. But I can let you in on something; you won't find tech like that available yet. My suit uses up Nano-tech, like you wouldn't believe. Oh but listen to me prattle on like this, come Jared, let's show them what we're doing."

As they walked down the corridor Knaves asked Tylar," So where did you go to school?"

"Oh, that was so long ago. The school was Brumsfield, on a British colony of- Oh, I'm sorry, did I mention I was an offworlder?"

"Yea, in your article you made mention of it. Not from this world are you?"

"Nope."

"Hope our world doesn't seem to primitive to you."

"Not at all. As a matter of fact I enjoy being in the company of my like-minded colleagues in any kind of civilization."

"Well, we're glad to have you."

As they reached the room, Jared took them to a gown room, and told them to put on a lab coat and safety goggles before entering the area. He took them inside and told them about the laser and what it was going to be used for.

"Fascinating," said Knaves. "All this for the Rikti shields? Are they really that powerful?"

"Unfortunately, yes," said Jared. "Nya, they also have a massively powerful magical weapon that they're using to power the shields as well… so we need this to be able to harness magic as well in order to match the tech and magic frequency of the shield. Once we do that, nya, we can tear a hole in the ship, allowing our hero friends to infiltrate it, and retrieve the weapon."

"That's amazing," said Knaves. "I'm all fired up now. Can we see how it works?"

"Nya, Tylar? Should it be good for one more shot?"

"I suppose it is. Assuming we have another watermelon."

------------------------------------------------

Cherry decided to take a jog around the block mid-morning for a bit of exercise. Kayain had also decided to get some exercise done and accompanied her. She thought he was going to try and get her back for the confusion earlier, but he admitted he liked watching her in her spandex outfit. They jogged diligently for a few minutes, but they ended up getting more exercise then they bargained for.

Along the way the stopped three muggings, two attempted kidnappings, and four shakedowns from the mob and Crey.

"This city is getting crazier day by day," said Cherry as they were entering the hotel.

"I don't know," said Kayain. "I kind of like the action."

"Speaking of action, weren't you Gina and Talley going out looking for more volunteers?"

"Talley's handling that part right now. What I'm interested in now is getting more funding. Even Lord Daniel's card has it's limits. So I decided to run a telemarketing scam- er, I mean a service."

"I see," said Cherry as they went up the elevator. "So what are you selling on the phone?"

"I'm running a personality help hotline service. It's cool because they're paying by the minute. The best part is getting paid while I tell people that they're lazy, ignorant, selfish, morons."

"You already do that to everyone."

"Yea, but when's the last time I got paid for it?"

"I see. Very nice though, it's thoroughly evil."

Kayain was not by nature a cynical person, but he had been duped enough times to understand their techniques.

"You think that's evil, Biggs is working for me as well. He's running a huge SPAM racket on Tylar's computer."

As the left the elevator, Cherry suddenly stopped and said," How much SPAM?"

"Don't worry, it's all to see if anyone will send us free money in hopes that they win a free trip to some tiny island called Hawaii…"

"And _are_ you giving a trip to Hawaii?"

"Dunno, don't care. I'm leaving the details to Biggs."

"Is there anything else I should know about that may get us hauled to a federal prison?"

"We're Phishing."

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but what is that?"

"Sending false information to people in order to take their money."

"Ok, so now you're stealing from people?"

"No, no. Regina dug up a huge list of Crey executives and Janet Kellum gave us a list of Mobsters names, and we're using false information to steal money from them that they do not deserve."

"And if you get caught?"

"Na, don't worry about it. We're using a network of complicated systems and whatnot. To find the source they'd have to go through a lot of unnecessary security measures, and in turn we could bail before we're found."

"You've worked this all out then?"

"Oh hell yea. Biggs is a pro. Does it all the time, you know?"

"I certainly hope so," she said as she opened the front door. "I'd hate to have mobsters show up around the place. Let alone more Crey."

"Don't worry so much. I've already taken care of it. Oh, and we're also making a cartoon series."

"Why?"

"Profits, babe. We wanna sell our overpriced Vigilante toys now don't we?"

"We have toys still?"

"Yup."

"And you're making the cartoon about us?"

"Yea, that part I'm in charge of. Now don't look at me like that, it's not going to be like the original comic series. I'll even have you drawn taller if you want?"

Cherry had to think about this.

"How much taller?"

"You can be the same height as Regina."

"Humm… that won't do. Make Regina shorter then."

"Fine with me."

"All right then, I believe you," she said. "But I got the shower first."

"No problem," said Kayain. "I've got to do a call from my hotline."

Cherry went off, and Kayain sat down to a nearby headset and said," Hello? Mister Gazette? Sorry for putting you on hold so long, but I didn't find your condition in the medical books either. Apparently there's no cure for being a lazy, ignorant, selfish, moron."

------------------------------------------------

It was later in the evening when a call from Janet Kellum came in. Cherry answered and said," Cherry speaking."

"Cherry, it's Janet."

"Hello Janet. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"A lead on your stolen tech case. We've traced it's whereabouts to a storage facility in Galaxy City."

"Ah, Galaxy City. Had a nasty run-in with a Winter Lord there."

"Well your tech is there in the large warehouse on 5th street. You might want to hurry, in case they move out."

"Ah… big place is it?"

"Fairly big. It has a lot of boxes, so you might need time to find it."

"In that case I'll get who I can and we'll get it. Thanks Janet."

"Take care."

Cherry wondered how to go about doing this, when Regina came in.

"Ah," she said. "Just the gal I was looking for."

"Humm?" said Regina curiously. "Hope I haven't done anything to upset you."

"No, but I need you for a robbery."

"Oh, then I'm your gal. What are we stealing?"

"We're stealing back our tech that was stolen from us."

"So we know where it is?"

"Yup. It was taken by these guys from a group called the Council. They're hiding it in a warehouse in Galaxy City. It's your standard mission. Avoid the guards, steal the goods, and get out without raising hell."

"Sounds easy enough… anything else I should know?"

"Probably not…"

------------------------------------------------

"Like hell…" said Regina.

She had made it inside the warehouse easy enough, but the real problem was finding the tech in a warehouse full of thousands of boxes.

"_Hey, I didn't say it was going to be easy_," said Cherry on the communicator. "_I just said it was a standard mission. _You_ thought it was easy._"

"Yea, but how in the world am I going to find this?"

"_Is there anything that is printed on the boxes?_"

"Lots of numbers."

"_Humm, I think you might have to interrogate someone then_."

"Fun. Well I'm going to find someone who might know something. Gina out."

Regina grumbled a bit, and began her search of someone who seemed to know what they were doing.

She went down the corridors only finding the low level grunts, and petty officers. No one here seemed to be worth interrogating, so she checked inside offices and break rooms.

_Nothing at all,_ she thought. _I swear, sometimes I think people just dumb things up on purpose._

As she rounded a corner, she nearly collided with a pair of soldiers who were coming straight at her.

"Intruder!" they yelled.

Regina instantly got into a fighting stance as they came at her. She vaguely wondered how they could see her, but focused on the fight at hand.

But surprisingly, the soldiers ran right past her and down the hall. She thought, _Whoa, that was close… An intruder though besides me? I wonder…_

"Cherry," said Regina into her communicator. "It looks like we have company."

"_You were seen_?" she answered.

"No, but it seems we have another raider, and this one is causing a ruckus up front."

"_I see… Well this is bad. But use this distraction to look for the tech._"

"Roger that."

She continued down the corridor, and came upon a soldier on a radio.

"Get everyone over there, pronto! This shipment needs to be delivered, and we still have a half an hour till the ferry gets here," said the soldier.

_Badges_, she thought. _He's got a lot of em. He is probably important enough…_

Slowly, she crept up behind him, reached around and pulled his head back in a headlock with her energy blade in the other hand. She had the blade around his neck and whispered in his ear," Hi, I'm new here. I was wondering if you could direct me to the stolen D.A.T.A. goods department?"

"I'll never tell!" he managed to say.

"All right then, you need more inspiration," she said as she moved the blade lower behind him, and poked him in the butt.

"Aaahh! No! Not there!"

"Tell me where the goods from D.A.T.A. are, and you get to live a happy man."

"They're in the office in four separate safes!"

"Good boy. Have a good night."

Regina grabbed him with both hands around the neck and pulled him down while choking him. The Archon struggled futilely for a few seconds, and then passed out.

Fortunately the other intruder kept the soldiers busy, and she was free to search the office.

_Now, where are those safes_, she thought. She checked the desk drawers, and cabinets. Instead she found two of them inside a hidden compartment behind the cabinets, and found the other two paintings on the wall.

Cracking the safe codes would take too long in her opinion. So she began cutting the door of the safes with her energy blade.

The metal was very thick, and it took her a while as she melted a hole large enough to get inside.

The first one didn't have their tech, but she recovered some stolen goods from D.A.T.A. The next one didn't contain it either, and by the third one, she wondered if this was the right office.

On the fourth one she reached inside and pulled out a box that was no bigger than her hand.

"Is this it?" she wondered aloud. "All that work for this?"

Suddenly, there was a clapping noise from the doorway. She turned to see a costume clad hero leaning against the doorway, clapping at her.

"Well," he said. "You certainly saved me a lot of time."

It took her a moment to take in his full appearance. He was dressed in a brown leather vest, cloth leggings with matching boots, and a mask that covered his eyes. He also carried a strap which held an acoustic guitar on his back. His dark red hair was parted forward, but it was covered in, what Regina thought, was a very cool brown leather hat.

In her opinion, she figured he was an archer of some kind, but had no idea why.

"Hi there," she said, mentally kicking herself for not paying closer attention to her surroundings. "If you're lost, the anime convention is a few blocks down."

"Oh, ha, ha. Witty. But I'm afraid I'm going to need that thing in your hands."

"What," she said holding the box out. "This old thing? I'm sure there's plenty of other boxes you can have."

"Nope. I need _that_ one. And you're going to hand it to me nice and easy."

Regina studied him for a moment and said," Oh, so demanding… and cute. What's your name?"

He smiled and bowed politely as he said," My name is Bard. And if you don't hand over that box, I can gladly sing a funeral ballad for you."

"Oh, so you're cute, _and_ you sing. I'm liking you more and more by the second. Hey, how about we forget all this and go out for a drink or two?"

"Sorry babe. I don't date Knives of Artemius."

"Knives of what?"

"You're not part of the group? You're dressed like one."

"No, I'm with the Vigilantes."

Suddenly Bard's expression changed. He looked at her with a calculating look.

"_The_ Vigilantes? The ones I keep reading about in the papers?"

"Yea, that's us."

"And you know how much damage you guys have caused?"

"You skipped all the good parts…"

"You guys have caused too much trouble around here. No matter what good you think you've done, you guys have done equally wrong."

Regina didn't feel like arguing, so she said," Well, can't argue that. But I'm also out of time."

"Yes, you are," he said as he cracked his knuckles.

"I'd love to stay and get to know you, but you know what they say…"

"No, what do they say?"

"Good-bye!" she said as she blew him a kiss and became invisible.

------------------------------------------------

Cherry waited for Regina in a nearby restaurant. When she sensed Regina in the building, she called over the waiter to bring her an extra drink.

Regina went into the restroom, and changed her outfit to plain clothes. She then went and sat casually with Cherry as if she was never gone.

"Where is it?" asked Cherry.

"Here in the pack, don't worry."

They sat and ate a meal, and ordered desert. Regina ordered a slice of pie, while Cherry ordered Ice cream.

"So you were seen?" asked Cherry. "Who saw you?"

"It was a cute hero. He mistook me for some group called the Knaves of Armpits or something."

"They must wear similar outfits."

"I suppose. It doesn't matter though, I still made it out ok."

"Ah," said Cherry as she sat back in the char. She smiled and said," How cute was he?"

"Mmm, he was very cute. Nice build, pretty face, great bod…"

Cherry smiled and said," Did you get his name?"

"Yea, he called himself Bard."

"Did he sing to you?"

"I wish he had, that would have been cool."

"And, uh," said Cherry as her expression changed to a slightly worried look. "What was he wearing?"

"Brown leather mostly."

"Brown leather? Like as in a leather jacket, brown pointy hat, red hair, and face mask?"

"Whoa… yea? How did you know that? You read my mind or something?"

Cherry shakes her head and says," No, he's behind you…"

"Wha-"

Almost like in slow motion, Regina takes a side dive, narrowly dodging a bone shattering kick delivered by the Bard.

The people of Paragon city knew the routine. When a hero walks into a room, everyone starts running. The restaurant was cleared out almost as fast as the kick.

"You must think you're pretty sneaky don't you?" he said. "You've already made the mistake of underestimating me, and now you're going to pay."

He lifts his leg and drops it in an axe kick, while Regina is laying prone. Regina instinctively puts her fists up, and finds the kick has been deflected with a psi-barrier Cherry put on her.

"Ah," said the Bard with his foot still on the barrier. "Which one of you did that?"

"You should know that hitting a lady isn't proper," said Cherry.

"A lady yea, but a thief, no… I know you. You're the leader of that Vigilante group."

"And if I am?"

"You're a lot shorter in real life, then in the newspaper picture."

"Ouch," said Cherry. This had always been a sensitive subject with her.

"What you have to understand is," said Bard as he put his foot back on the floor and pointed to her. "Your kind is not welcome in Galaxy City. And it's my job to protect Galaxy City from you."

Cherry folded her arms and said," You've _got_ to be kidding me…"

Bard turned on his heel, and darted right at her. Cherry held her hand up, and he stopped abruptly. Using her telekinesis, she pushed him back against the wall.

"Humph," he said. "This is exactly what I'm talking about. You go around this town like you own the place, using your powers on anyone who you don't like. What's to stop you from hurting innocent people with these powers eh?"

"Believe me," said Cherry. "The thought's crossed my mind several times. I can honestly say I've done nothing with my powers that makes me loose sleep at night."

"Ha. Villains murder, steal, and rape. None of that makes them loose sleep at night either."

"I am _not_ a villain. And you sir, need to learn some manners. There is no reason for this."

"You having that much power is all the reason I need."

"This is ridiculous. I don't need this now. Regina, we're leaving. You sir, are staying there and taking our tab."

Cherry walked out of the building, and Regina stayed behind to say," Sooo, you still up for those drinks?"

"Get me out of here, and I'll give you all the action you need baby…" he said viciously.

"Wish I could, but I can't."

"Then I'll see you again. You can count on it."

------------------------------------------------

Kayain was on the phone with a client, chatting away when Cherry and Regina came in. Glancing over he saw Cherry looking angry, and thought nothing of it since she was angry for most of the day as it was.

Regina went to deliver the tech to Tylar's lab, and Cherry sat on the couch nearby and turned on the TV.

Kayain sensed she was pretty tense and said on the phone," Hold on, I'll answer your question, just let me ask it to my consultant first."

He put the headset on the table and sat down next to her.

"Have a successful mission?"

"Yea," she said not looking at him.

"You don't look so happy."

"My ice cream was ruined again."

"That's too bad. If I remember I'll pick you up some."

"Thanks."

"I have a question for you. My client asked me if I think that Love is the number one guiding force in the world. I said sure why not, but what do you think?"

She frowned and thought for a moment. All the recent events in the day had put her in a bad mood and she replied, "No, it's stupidity! Stupidity is the number one driving force today! Rudeness comes next, along with people who ruin other people's meals!"

"Aaaw, sounds like someone had a bad day," he said as he put an arm around her.

"Greed comes after that, and then Lust, then Laziness…"

"And so where does love go?"

"Somewhere else!"

"I think someone here needs my magic hands."

"No, I don't need your hands."

"But I think you do."

"No, I do-" she stopped as Kayain began to rub her shoulders. "Oh… A little to the left… right there, you got it… oh yea."

"So where is love now?"

"Ok, ok, it's the top five…"

At that moment, Tylar and Regina came in the room. The both stopped at the doorway when they heard Cherry saying," Oh, yea, just like that…oooh, little harder please… Right there's just fine…"

They walked out of the room.

"Mmm, Kayain?"

"Yea babe?"

"Aren't you on the phone still?"

"I'm paid by the minute."

"That doesn't answer my question. You still have someone on the phone right?"

"What part of 'I'm paid by the minute' is confusing you?"

------------------------------------------------

The hero Bard was not about to be upstaged by those Vigilante types. A few minutes after the woman had left, the hold she had on him was broken.

They must have seriously underestimated him, because he was easily able to track them down and follow them into a large hotel in Steel Canyon.

He had also realized that the smaller woman was a psion, and therefore kept his mind clear, so she could not sense him. He watched as they rode the elevator to the 50th floor, and waited.

He knew that it would probably be unwise to go up there fists first. There was probably many other Vigilante members up there as well, so a plan was necessary.

"Bard!" he heard someone say from behind.

Another hero clad in a purple body suit, mirrored helmet with a point running down the bridge of his nose, silver forearm bracers, and a large T, on his shirt, came up to him breathlessly and said," Hey man… Slow it down. We've been searching all over for you!"

"And I've told you already I can handle this on my own," said Bard casually.

"We need to work as a team! I can't stress this enough. You're always running off on your own, and-"

"I've found the tech already," he said waving his hands dismissively. "And found out who the thieves are. What exactly have you done today?"

"We've been looking for _you_!"

"Time wasted I'd say, Tempest."

"We were supposed to all do this together, _Bard_," said another voice.

Bard turned to see a metallic hero, clad in full body armor. The armor was a shade of off-white, with a same colored visor over her eyes. The woman inside was about average height, fair skinned, and had straight auburn hair.

"I know that _Sentry_," said Bard emphasizing the word Sentry. "I just thought I'd get this done faster myself."

"You're missing the point," she said. "We're supposed to be working on our teamwork skills, and we can't do that with you running off all the time."

"But we _are_ working as a team. I find the items, kick the hell out of the bad guys, and you guys are my backup in case I get in trouble."

Sentry stamped her foot and said," That's _not_ what teams do!"

"Always worked for me."

"Edward!" she hissed at him in an almost whisper voice. "Stop making things difficult for us!"

"All right, all right. If you want to team with me so badly, fine. I'll cooperate. Besides, I have an idea that would save me a bit of trouble if you can provide air support…"

------------------------------------------------

"When he said 'Air support' I didn't think he wanted us to carry him," said Tempest, as he struggled with Bard's weight.

Both Tempest and Sentry have the ability to fly. Tempest's trained abilities enabled his body to take flight, while Sentry's tech suit was a modern wonder in personal flight technology.

However now, they felt a bit taken advantage of.

"Hold steady, this is the floor," said Bard as he scanned the top floor of the hotel.

"Ah, see that?" he said as he looked at the windows. "Barriers. Put me down by the balcony, and we'll break one so I can get in."

"Don't you mean 'we' can get in?"

"Yea, that's what I said, didn't I?"

"No, you didn't."

"Must have slipped my mind."

Tempest and Sentry brought him closer to the balcony when he said," No, wait. Stop here… I see that bathroom window is unprotected."

"What? You think you can get in there?"

"I've been in tighter spots."

"That's crazy," said Tempest. "You think you can fit in there? What if you do get in, what about us?"

"I'll sneak around and let you in. Then 'we' can sneak attack them."

"Just who are these thieves? I thought they were the Council from what Eden told us."

"Knives of Artemus," he said. "They stole from the Council."

Tempest, who's arms were getting tired said," Ok, ok… Just try and get in, and then open the door for us."

Sentry and Tempest brought him close enough to where he could get some footing on the window ledge. He positioned himself, then slid in with very little difficulty.

Tempest, rubbed his sore arm and said," Wow… Did you know he could do that?"

"He's done it before when he locked himself out of his dorm," said Sentry. "I suppose now we wait till he unlocks the door…"

The both looked at each other for a moment. Tempest said," Think we should find another way in then?"

"Yea, he's not going to let us in."

_Let them in,_ thought Bard as he landed on the bathroom floor. _Like hell I will. These Vigilantes are mine._

He looked around and found he was in the counter area of a very large bathroom. To his right was a slightly open doorway, and a closed doorway to his left. He crept up to the open doorway to see the rest of the bathroom.

The bathroom was very luxurious in his opinion. It was large, had a Jacuzzi-like tub, with a large shower. The rack nearby held an assortment of bath salts, soaps, shampoos, and conditioner. Looking a bit more he saw an outline of a female in the shower, only slightly distorted by the glass.

Tempting as it was, he did not look any further. Instead he crept to the other side and unlocked the door. Slowly he opened the door and looked out.

He came upon the living area, with a sunken den area, with a very large television and a few puffy couches with a vinyl-looking coating. There was someone on the couch, with wild dirty-blonde hair, doing a few strange up and down motions.

Listening closely over the television he heard a woman moaning," Oh, yea… harder... Right there, you got it…"

"Feel better, babe?" he heard the wild-looking man say.

"Much," he heard the woman say. "Thanks. That was very refreshing."

She poked her head up just enough for him to recognize the hair. She was the same woman who nailed him to the wall psionically.

_So_, he thought. _That spiky haired dude is her lover… I see. No matter. I'll take her down first, and hopefully he'll get reckless._

Bard moved slowly out of the bathroom and got into a crouching position. He sprang forward and darted at the two people on the couch. Suddenly, he was stopped by a very hard, backhand from the wild man.

He fell backwards, and followed up a roll to his feet, seeing stars for a moment.

"Man, you gotta be kidding me!" said the wild man. "Trying to sneak up on a psion, and me? More importantly me, but a psion as well? Come on now."

The pair turned around in the couch and smiled pleasantly at him.

"The bathroom window?" said the dark haired woman. "Wow, I didn't know anyone would fit in there. I need to remember to fix that then. But thanks for not peeping at my sister."

"Oh man," said the wild man. "You had a chance to peep on Gina? Daaamn, you blew it."

Bard sighed and dusted himself off. "I want that tech back, and I don't care who I have to take down to get it, but I _will_ get it."

The two looked at each other, then she said," The tech is ours in the first place. We were just taking back what was stolen from us."

"Yea right. That tech is property of D.A.T.A. and Doctor Thomas."

"Tylar? He lives here," said Kayain. "He's my brother for cryin' out loud."

"What?" Bard didn't have any reason to believe them, and stuck to his guns. "You're just making that up."

The woman pressed something by her ear and said," Tylar, please come out here, and bring your magazine of Scientific Weekly." She turned to Bard and said," Bear with me a moment, and I'll give you proof."

Bard didn't know if this was a trick or not, but he kept on guard just in case.

A thin man came out of one of the doors carrying a magazine. He had long straight blonde hair, with a blonde goatee, and thick glasses. Bard hated to admit it, but the man's face resembled the wild man's.

"What is it?" he asked. "I was just finishing the autographs to my fans and-"

"What?" said the wild man. "Autograph? You were signing autographs?"

He blushed a bit and said," Well yea… two actually…"

The wild man laughed heartily and said," Man! Who'd have thought nerdy is fashionable here on this planet?"

"Kayain," said the woman sharply. "Be quiet. Tylar, hand our guest the magazine."

"Well I was… you know… using this one."

"Tylar!"

"All right! Here you are sir… I do need that back."

Bard took the magazine to find that the man who handed him it was on the cover page. The magazine was indeed Scientific Weekly, and that man standing there was indeed Doctor Tylar Thomas. But what bothered him the most was that the magazine was signed by him, and the signature read:

_To my biggest fan on Earth: Betty Taylor; from: Doctor Tylar Thomas_

Bard cringed at this. Many different thoughts were going through his mind at the moment. One was how that a respected scientist like Tylar got involved with a nasty group like this one. Another was how in the world this guy knew his sister, Betty.

_And she asked for an autograph,_ he thought. _Does she… _like _this guy?_

Just the thought of that made his insides burn with his brotherly protection. At that moment Tylar was the biggest creep he'd ever seen, and was not going to let him get anywhere near his sister.

He knew his sister was a bit on the nerdy side, but he was going to put a stop to this at once.

"I say," said Tylar. "Sir? I'll that I need that back please, sir. That's for a fan of mine."

"HA!" laughed Kayain. "The Tylar Fan club. Yea, that'll be the day."

"It's not _that_ absurd!" said Tylar staring daggers at Kayain. "I've done plenty for the scientific community, and it's not too far fetched to say that people appreciate my good work every now and then. Where as you get fans for kicking your legs around and farting all day."

"Well then, now you see what it takes to be a star."

"Sadly I do!"

"Guys," said the woman. "Remember, we have company."

"Oh, yes," said Tylar. "May I have that back now?"

The look Bard gave him told him that he had a lot of swear words and yelling all held back for some reason.

"Err, please?"

Bard reluctantly handed it back and said," Doctor Tylar Thomas eh?"

"Yes?"

"I'll remember that. Oh, I will…"

"Good," said the woman. "Now that we're all acquainted, I am Cherry, leader of the Vigilantes. Even though you've invaded the sanctity of our home, I will still treat you as a guest if you'll behave yourself."

Bard didn't like being patronized in any way. He said," And what makes you think I'd want to stay? I'm still resolved to beating all of you."

"Because you're very much outnumbered, and out powered here. Not to mention, you've already given me enough information on you."

"Like what."

Cherry smiled and said," Tylar please go back to your lab."

"Err, sure thing."

"Kayain, can you please fetch us some drinks? Miller for our friend here, Deuce Renault for me, and whatever else for yourself."

"Why do _I_ have to get the drinks?"

"Hey, you're the one with the magic hands… and you also know where the liquor is being kept."

"Yea, I do… But I don't wanna get up."

"You will get up. Or I'll plant more false memories in your head."

"Ah-ha, no thank you," he said as he went to the kitchen.

"Now, mister Edward Taylor," she said in a very businesslike way. "I will tell you now, I can read minds very easily. Betty Taylor is your little sister, and you hate Tylar because you think she might like him. I wouldn't worry about that. Tylar has a love interest already, and would probably never make move on your sister because he hasn't even told the woman of his dreams how he feels. Kayain and I were _not_ making love on the couch as you had thought. He was rubbing my shoulders because of the headache you gave me earlier. You have two other allies waiting outside our door, wondering how to get in. Their names are Billy Young, a.k.a. Tempest, and your little sister Betty Taylor, a.k.a. Sentry. You're all part of a group named 'The Brotherhood of Justice'."

Bard stood there listening to all of this, halfway impressed, and halfway annoyed. He still didn't like when people had power like this-

"But unlike most people," said Cherry sensing his thoughts. "I don't abuse this power. For example: I already knew most of your personal information, but chose not to tell anyone. If I was abusing it, I would have told all your secrets to my team, but that's why I sent them away. I won't deny either that my powers haven't hurt people. That's just a given. Anyone with power, be it super power, or leaders of great nations, someone _will_ get hurt. I'm not out to carpet the world Mister Taylor, I'm giving shoes to people who want them."

"So," he said as he thought about this. "What about the stories I hear about you guys?"

"Some truth, with a bit of fiction. I find your mainstream media here tends to exaggerate and lie a lot."

"Yea they do… So what exactly are you trying to tell me, Miss…"

"Cherry will do."

"Cherry. What are you trying to tell me?"

"You can think what you want about us. I really don't care. And no I'm not a hero in the sense that I don't think in terms of just Black and White; Good and evil; right and wrong. I already know that sometimes when you do what you think is right, you end up hurting someone else. That is life. I'm not proud of it, but when someone wicked tries to kill you, I believe you should definitely bring harm to that person even if his momma loves him."

"Even if it means killing another person?"

"Yes, even if it comes to that."

"What if he's a desperate person who dieing of hunger?"

"No one, and I mean _no one_. Has the right to take your life just because he wants what you have."

"So you're saying he should just die?"

"There's plenty of people who want to help people like that. Some just don't know better and I feel sorry for them, but that is life. Some are too prideful to accept help and take the easier route, then I don't feel sorry for them. And you already understand this. You already do what it takes to protect that which is most precious to you, Galaxy city."

"Yea, I do."

"So, in the same way that you protect Galaxy city, I fight to protect the people I love in my homeworld of Matronia. I don't care what people think of me, even though I know a lot of people disagree, and outright hate me… I fight to protect what I love the most. It just gives me a meaning and a purpose in life… What about you Mister Taylor? Why do you fight?"

He shrugs his shoulders and says," You already know that. Why have me say it when you can just violate my mind and get the information yourself?"

"Simply for the sake of politeness, I don't make the conversation one sided. Although I never ask a question I don't already know the answer to."

"If you wanted someone to talk to in a conversation like that, I suggest you talk to the idiot in purple. Otherwise you should know by now that I'm still resolved to doing what I came here to do."

"I know. You came here looking for a fight, and my crew and I will be happy to oblige… I only ask that you indulge me for just a few minutes more."

At that moment Kayain steps in from his spot on the doorway. He tosses a can of beer to Bard, and a glass of red wine to Cherry. Kayain takes his own and drinks it down.

"You play guitar Bard man?" said Kayain. "So do I… What do you say to a guitar duel, eh? Just us and some kick ass rifts, you know?"

"Sorry, but that's not what I'm here for. I'm not trying to make friends here."

Kayain shrugs, takes another swig, and says," Suit yourself."

------------------------------------------------

Tempest and Sentry tried hitting the barriers to no effect.

"These shields are very reflective," said Sentry who's shots had nearly rebound and hit them.

"Edward's been in there a long time," said Tempest. "Hope he hasn't been captured or anything."

"I don't know. He hasn't responded on the communicator."

"Hey!" they heard someone call out.

Both of them turned to see a man wearing a very pointy hat stick his head out the window and say," You kids! Keep it down! Some of us are trying to work here!"

Both of them exchanged glances. Tempest said," Uh… who are you?"

"I'm Danyel, who the heck are you?"

"Tempest."

"Well Tempest, I have these barriers here for a reason you know. Plus I'm working, so if you don't mind I'd like some quiet around here!"

"Eh, one of our teammates is in there…" said Sentry.

"Oh really?" he said frowning. "Nowadays people have this thing called a door. You'd do well to find out what that is if you know what's good for you. When you do find it, be sure and _knock_."

"Is Bard _sure_ this is the right place?" Tempest asked Sentry as Danyel went back inside. "I mean this guy hasn't attacked us or anything."

"Yea, and the Knives of Artimeus are females… and they don't wear those silly wizard hats."

"Say, should we go in the front and knock?"

"I was thinking we should. Edward's not telling us something about this."

------------------------------------------------

Regina came out of the bathroom wearing a bathrobe, and a towel wrapped in her hair. She came to the living area to see Cherry still sitting on the couch, Kayain standing by her, and Bard staring at them both.

"Didn't know we had company…" she said.

No one looked at her. Both sides were staring at each other, as if daring the other to move.

"Kayain," said Cherry. "Will be your opponent. If you can't defeat him, then you really shouldn't be here."

"I'll go after whoever I want lady," said Bard.

Kayain grinned broadly and said," Oh, Yes Indeed! I've been itching for a good fight. Let's see if you last longer then those Tsoo, martial arts wannabees…"

The Bard frowned and leapt toward Kayain. Cherry immediately moved all the sofas, tables, and the TV out of the way psionically.

The Bard began with a series of jabs, which connected with ease. Kayain did not show any signs that it hurt or even bothered him in the slightest. Kayain fought back with only minimal offense, and kept his defense up.

Bard retaliated with a series of bone shattering kicks, which to his annoyance still didn't seem to bother him. Bard attempted to grapple next, and Kayain immediately broke the grapple and backed off.

"Come on!" said Bard. "If you're not going to fight, then I'll just finish this now!"

Bard had a kick he practiced. It was a special kick that hospitalized over a hundred villains to date, and it was followed by a combination that he used on Kayain.

In slow motion, Kayain saw what was coming. Bard hit him so he'd lower his head a bit for the crippling kick that would land on the back of his neck. Within the fraction of a second, Kayain moved forward, and caught his leg mid axe-kick, and brought him hard over his shoulders in a fireman's carry.

Bard landed awkwardly on his shoulders. Kayain said," All right. Playtime's over."

Bard stood up and recomposed himself. "So, you're actually going to put up a fight this time?"

"It won't be much of a fight if you carry on like that."

"Humph. Let's see what you got wild man."

Now it was Kayain's turn to go on the offensive. Kayain was startlingly fierce as he came at Bard with his own attacks. He could only just narrowly avoid the kicks and punches as he tried to get in a shot of his own.

_Man,_ thought Bard trying to dodge and attack. _This guy's technique is solid. I've never seen anything like this before. I need to get in and strike at any opening or I'm not going to win this._

The opportunity proved harder than he thought. When Bard sent in a crippling shot, Kayain would move to where it would only hit his arm or leg, and nothing vital. Even takedowns had proven ineffective, and he would counter it with a throw or strike.

Within a few minutes, Bard was becoming winded. He realized that if he didn't finish this now, fatigue was going to finish him.

_Time to end this,_ he thought.

He began his combo, a series of fast jabs, then a knee to the stomach, and the crippling axe kick to the neck. However, when he began the jabs, Kayain saw his own opportunity. He blocked Bard's right hook, and gave a snap jab into his kidney. Bard recoiled, which proved to be a mistake because Kayain still had hold of his right arm. He brought Bard forward, put his hand by his head, and his leg swept Bard's and he crashed hard on the floor.

Bard had the wind knocked out of him, and braced himself for another attack. But it did not come.

Kayain let go of his arm, and looked at him for a moment. He folded his arms and turned around as he said," You can't win this…"

Bard caught his breath and snarled at Kayain. He sat up and said," Yea well at least _I_ don't need powers to fight-"

Kayain suddenly turned around and looked at him menacingly and said," Don't you talk to _me _about that! That's _NOT_ what I meant!"

The deadly seriousness in Kayain's hardened expression made him look all the more wild. Bard was a bit taken aback by this look, since he expected this arrogant man to gloat.

"It shouldn't have mattered if I had any powers or not! You have the skill and techniques, but you can't give me a proper fight because you weren't mentally prepared… too much baggage weighing you down. I know, I've _been_ there, and I see it in you."

"Are you trying to say," said Bard as he got up. "That I'm loosing because of my personal problems?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. You've lost focus. It's not for me to ask why and how, but if you ever want to have a ghost of a chance of fighting me, you need to do yourself a favor and straighten out your issues."

"Look," said Bard. "I don't get your mystical bullcrap, but that's not how I work."

"Nothing mystical about it," said Kayain. "Once you gain a better focus, you can fight like you once used to,"

"Used to? How do you know how I _used_ to fight?"

"I saw it in your technique. You fight like someone who used to tear down walls, and break steel. From everything you've done today, and everything you've said… It's not that hard to figure out you're not at a hundred percent."

Bard knew what he was talking about. He had not been fighting with the same ferocity that he used to, and he'd been in a depressed state lately. What annoyed him was how this wild man knew this.

"I know you have a lot of issues to deal with. I'm asking you to deal with them, and then come back."

"What, you're just going to let me in?"

"Yes, because I said I would. But if you ever need help, just ask and I will."

"Humph," Bard said, crossing his arms. "I don't want your help, and don't need it. I can look after myself thanks."

"Then you have no more business here. I must ask that you leave now."

Bard still didn't like to be told what to do, but he knew better than to stay now.

"Fine… But know that I _will_ be back. And if anyone takes you down, it's going to be me."

"I'm counting on it," said Kayain. "I'll be here… All you have to do is knock."

Ironically, there was a knock at the door. Both Regina and Cherry finally exhaled, not realizing they were holding their breath.

"I'll get that then shall I?" they heard Tylar say from his doorway. He had heard the commotion and had come to see the fight.

When he answered the door, he came face to face with Sentry.

"Doctor Thomas?!" gasped Sentry.

"Err, hi. Do I know you?"

Cherry looked over, but didn't say a word.

When Bard saw them, he immediately composed himself as usual and said," Come on guys. We're leaving. Just a misunderstanding."

"What?" said Tempest. "We went through a lot of trouble today on your expense, and now you're telling us this is the wrong place?"

"Not the wrong place, just a misunderstanding. The tech is back with it's owner, so we don't need to worry about that."

"Then what the heck took so long?" demanded Sentry. "And who are these people?"

"That voice," said Tylar. "Where have I heard that from…"

"We're the Vigilantes," said Cherry. "And I have a favor to ask."

"Favor? What kind of favor?" said Sentry.

"Tell Eden I said thanks."

Both Tempest and Sentry stared at her, wondering how she knew about Eden, and how she knew that they were working with her.

"Uh… is that all?" asked Tempest.

"That's all. Just tell her Cherry said thanks."

"Right… well we'll just tell her that."

"That's a very nice suit," said Tylar. "My word, the details and specs of that suit are simply wonderful!"

"Yea, so we'll just be going now," said Sentry, avoiding Tylar's gaze, lest he recognize her from earlier today. "Come on guys."

Bard and Kayain did not meet eyes. Bard only took a last glance over his shoulder to where Kayain stood rooted with his arms crossed, and left with the other two.

Cherry looked over to him and said," So? How did he measure up to you?"

Kayain stared off to somewhere by Cherry and thought for a moment. He looked at her and said," His aura looks troubled."

One thing he inherited from his mother was her Q'Hagian vision of auras.

"Something was just not right," he continued. "It was like, all the potential is there, but he's very troubled. The man needs to get over his personal problems badly, or he's going to end up loosing that fighting flare. Plus he hits pretty damn hard. I thought I felt something break for a minute there."

"Ah," said Cherry. "It's not often you get in 'serious' mode. But when you do, it's because you are very interested in something… usually having to do with punching and kicking."

"Hey, come on now. I'm always serious. I'm like the most serious guy you've ever met," he said as he passed gas loudly.

Fanning the air away, Cherry said," You think he'll be back?"

"He'd better…" said Kayain.

------------------------------------------------

Of all the groups and mercenaries in the whole Matronian Empire, the Ages sect were widely the most respected and feared. Their skills in combat, stealth, diplomacy, and warfare were unmatched by anyone in the Empire. They were all hand selected personally by the Patriarch and carried out his will under the guise of a freelance mercenary outfit.

The Patriarch's real objective was to use them to gain favor among the other nations as this group of freelancers spread the good name of Matronia by helping those in need. But with the Vigilantes around, he had always been the subject to harsh criticism on being unable to control them.

He also despised the Martinez name since his daughter had married outside the ruling class, or as he puts it,' That wretched foreigner'. This has caused him trouble to no end. He was labeled the Patriarch who destroyed one of Matronia's most important traditions. Though not overtly aggressive to Rolando, he still tried as best he could for an 'accident' to happen to him. And with the new Vigilantes in, he made sure to deal with them as well.

And thus, the Ages sect was born. Only the best were allowed in this group, and they had to prove themselves one way or another.

Their leader, Quest, proved more then capable of handling such a group. Quest was tall, fair skinned, with white hair. He let his hair grow long to add a depth to his young and boyish characteristics. The girls loved it, and always tried to get his attention, while jealous males called him a worthless pretty-boy. Kayain on the other hand didn't called him a pretty-boy, but went straight to the words Worthless Faggot instead.

Despite his youthful appearance and boyish good looks, he was older then any of the Vigilantes, with the exception of Ami. He was quick with his wit, and quick with his blade, which he preferred in a fight.

Martial arts and Sword arts were his forte, and he didn't hesitate to flaunt it in front of the Vigilantes. Kayain had lost a number of times to him in the Matronian Intergalactic Fighting Tournaments. This fact brought a degree of mutual hate between them, one that was usually fueled by Quest in an attempt to discourage and rile Kayain up.

Outside of the hotel Deluxe Accommodations, the Ages sect gathered. Quest, stared up to the top and said," So, this is where they are eh?"

Another named Adagio said," I can practically smell them. This place has the stench of failure all over it."

Adagio was considered one of the most pompous members of the team. Apart from the fact that he was the team's know-it-all, whenever he felt he was superior to someone in any way he'd make sure you'd be the first to know about it. He was also a pretty-boy like Quest, but more on the arrogant side, and a lot skinnier.

Quest pulled out a large wad of cash and said," And _this_ is the currency they use here on this planet. I'm not sure what the ratio of exchange is, but luckily we have our replicators."

"Indeed," said a woman named Phoebe. "And even more luckily we came across those nasty hoodlums who actually had cash on them.

Phoebe was the team's Sorceress. She's a member of the Galactic Arcane Society, like Danyel. Another known fact is she went to school with Danyel, and continually hit on him while he was there.

She just didn't take 'no' for an answer. She kept trying, not realizing he already had a love waiting for him. When she found out about Diana, she still perused him, even after their marriage.

She joined the Ages sect, not so much to annoy Danyel, but more for tormenting Diana. Phoebe was the very first person Diana ever met who she hated.

"Luck had nothing to do with it," said Quest. "This whole city's been plagued with crimes. At the same time they have those weird costumed freaks running around, trying to save the world or something."

"Yea," said another named Remington. "To me, it feels as if we've stepped into a comic book."

If there was anyone on the team who you would not want to mess with on first sight, it was Remington. He was exceptionally tall, dark skinned, muscular, with a square jaw. His contribution to the team is brute strength, and a magical artifact that grafted itself on his arm that allowed him to manipulate the elements of the earth.

But despite his intimidating appearance and demeanor, he was oftentimes a very well-mannered gentleman. One would never believe such a good person could work with such rude and bad tempered people, but Remington stayed to be the voice of reason.

"Speaking of that," said another named Eva. "We've got trouble."

Eva's reasons for joining were very selfish. She joined for the fame, money, and power the positions held with the Matronian government. She is also very ambitious, as she aspires to be one of the most powerful women in fashion and design.

Her own personal talents include mind controlling psionics, and manipulation of Kinetic energy, which she's startlingly good at.

"Where?"

"Across the street."

There was a lady across the street cowering as a group of Outcasts surrounded her.

"Handle it," Quest said to Phoebe with a dismissive wave of his hand.

She nodded and concentrated for a moment on where they were. The floor beneath the thugs began to liquefy slowly to the consistency of Quicksand. Before they could find out who was doing that, she snapped her fingers and the mud came off the ground and covered their bodies, locking them in place.

To the victim's amazement, she stood there, unharmed by any of this. Paragon City civilians know what to do at times like these, and she ran off as fast as she could.

"Ok Remington, go ahead and teach them a lesson," said Phoebe.

Remington nodded and focused briefly. He conjured several large boulders to surround his body completely, making him completely covered in a very large rock armor.

"The rocks in this world itch like crazy," he said.

The gangsters stared in terror as this gigantic stone monster was shambling at them.

"Now," said Quest, ignoring the screaming thugs. "Let's review the plan. Since this world doesn't have the same anti-bug tech in hotels, we can more easily bug the Vigilante's room." Without looking he stepped to the side to avoid a flying gangster coming from behind," Odo wants reports of what they're up to. And to make things easier, we'll get our room as close to theirs as possible."

"Right," they said, ignoring a thug flying at the wall.

"Next, we need to unload our equipment somewhere. We don't need very much space, but I'm sure one of those large penthouse suites will work."

"Excuse me! But what about all _my_ equipment?" said Eva as she crossed her arms.

Eva was one of those women who was obsessed with looks and vanity. It took a team of trained professionals to carry her uniforms properly so none of them get a single wrinkle or speck of dust on them. She was the kind of woman who had a pair of shoes for every time of the day, and every day of the week. Her makeup kit consisted of everything listed on the periodic table of elements.

None of them could say anything really bad about her obsession with fashion, because she was a natural beauty.

"Yes, yes," said Quest. "We'll be sure and get that stuff as well."

"Will we have enough room for the entire team?" asked Adagio.

"We don't need everyone here, just an essential team."

"Good. I'm not sharing my room anyway."

"I wouldn't ask you to," said Quest as he thought that no one on the team could stand living in the same room as him for the whole time, let alone a whole hour.

"Now," he continued. "Let's go inside and find ourselves a room, shall we?"

Remington caught up with them as they reached the doors, which opened by themselves. When Quest entered, he bumped shoulders with some costume clad hero.

"Hey!" said Quest as he turned directly to him. "Watch where you're going _boy_!"

The hero stopped and turned. He said," What the hell did you just call me?"

"I think you heard me the first time _boy_."

When the Ages sect all looked at him, Eva gave a sharp, and arrogant chortle. She said," Oh, look what we have here. That suit, where'd you get it at? The dollar store?"

Before he could answer, two other costume clad heroes came up to him. One said," Bard, what's going on here?"

Bard said," I'm about to kick some ass is what."

"Oooh," mocked Quest. "I'm shakin'. Look pal, why don't you just do yourself a favor and walk right out that door like a good boy."

"How about I just drop your ass here and now?"

"Bard!" said female dressed in a grey power suit.

"I'd love to see you try, but unfortunately I don't have the time to deal with small fries like you."

"Oh, yea, now I'm gonna-"

"Bard wait!" said the hero in purple as he grabbed the Bard's arm. "Don't be reckless, we're outnumbered here… plus the cops are right outside."

"I don't care, let go Tempest! I'm gonna pound that ugly face!" demanded Bard.

"Don't Bard," said the female. "These people aren't worth getting into that much trouble."

"Better listen to miss has no sense of fashion there," said Eva.

"Hey!" said the female.

"Sentry," said Bard. "These people are just asking for an asskicking. I'm gonna help them with that."

"Humph," said Adagio. He brushed his long hair out of his eyes as he said, "How barbaric. Are all the heroes here as dim-witted as you?"

With a tug, Bard pulled his arm out of Tempest's grip and stormed up to them, ready to fight.

"What's all the commotion here?" they heard a police officer say from the doorway. "Why are you blocking the entryway? And you," he added to Bard. "What are you doing?"

Bard frowned and said," Wondering which kick I could use to take this guy's head off."

"Yea? Well we have the arenas for you heroes!"

"Oh yes sir," said Quest. "Of course sir, we were trying to move, when this trio of heroes threatened to hurt us."

"Is that so?"

"NO!" said Tempest. "It was them! They were threatening us!"

"I've heard enough. It's bad enough, you hero types are allowed to blast whoever you want. I'll be damned if I let you do it in front of me. You lot, clear off!" he said to the Ages sect. "And you three, if you have no business here, then you need to leave!"

"Thank you sir, keep up the good work," said Quest as the team began to walk off. While they walked by, he threw a nasty grin at Bard, who remained stony faced.

_Oh I have business here allright_, thought Bard. _First thing's first. Beat the crap out of those smug sons of bitches, then you're all mine Kayain._

------------------------------------------------

"Lord Daniel," said Cherry as she answered the door. "What a pleasant surprise. Please come in."

"Hello Madam," said Lord Daniel politely. "I've come to remind you about my charity concert May the 29th."

"Yes, and thanks for the calendar, it's very useful… except why those pictures on the cover?"

"Calendar? I never sent a calendar."

"Ahh," she said as she smiled. "Then it must have been Kayain's all along. It was full of bikini supermodels."

"No, no, that definitely wasn't me. Oh, I wanted to tell you though that I'm hosting a ball the day after the concert. It's also for charity, and on the plus side, a lot of executives and top names will be there. I want you and your team to be there as well."

Cherry raised an eyebrow and said," The Countess Crey isn't coming is she?"

"Humm," he said with a smile. "I seem to have misplaced her invitation somewhere in my 'do not invite the murderess' bin."

"Then you can bet we'll be there. It should be a good opportunity for us."

"Yes, of course," he said taking glances over her shoulder as if looking for something.

_Or someone,_ she thought as she smiled on the inside. _For a rich playboy like Daniel here, he has a lot of trouble saying what he wants._

"Oh, and I needed to ask about the odd expenses to the card I gave you…"

"Ah," said Cherry knowingly. "That would be Kayain's fault. You see he's running a research… thing… in Tylar's lab and… well he should probably explain that himself."

Cherry took him to the lab where Kayain, Tylar, Talley, Regina, and Proto-man were. They had another guest sitting on a chair, fully clothed this time. Cherry recognized her as Lady Darkness.

"You said there was Elvin Moonwine," she said.

"Oh, did I?" said Proto-man. "Humm, that's odd, I must have lied. Anyway, can we see em?"

Kayain, who was sitting by Tylar looked over and said," Geeze Proto, your way of telling people will scare the hell out of anyone."

Kayain approached her and said," I assume he told you what we're trying to do down here right?"

"Something about cosmetics?"

Kayain slapped his forehead and ran his hand down his face. He looked at her and said," Ooook... this is going to be a bit annoying…"

Lady Darkness listened to Kayain passively, while Lord Daniel waited patiently, intrigued by what he was saying.

"So you see," said Kayain. "I _asked_ Proto to see if you'd be interested in participating, and not mislead you here with lies… I'm really sorry about that."

"Oh, well I'm glad we have an understanding," said Lady Darkness.

"I mean Proto's a bit… you know… And after all, we fought the Envoy of Shadow together. But hey, you were promised wine, and we have some if you want."

"Hey, good idea!" said Proto. "Just say what kind and I will get you some!" He added quietly to Kayain," Good thinking man, get her drunk first and she'll be nice and-"

"Well, I really should be getting back…"

"Hello Lady Darkness," said Cherry as she entered the room.

"Oh, hello Miss Cherry," she said.

"Don't mind these freaks. They'd try and find a cure for stupidity if they thought they could."

"A cure for stupidity?" said Proto-man. "No way, you'd need at least two times the amount of people we have now to do something like that."

Cherry sighs and says," I guess you'd better get started on that anyway. Perhaps you can drink the cure yourself."

"Why would I need that?"

"Lady Darkness," she said, ignoring him. "Would you like to get a drink with me? Lord Danyel has things to discuss with them."

"Oh, of course Cherry," she said as she eagerly left the room with Cherry.

Lord Daniel looked around and said," You guys seem to be getting along ok. What _is_ all this stuff anyway?"

"Well," said Kayain. "A lot of this stuff is Tylar's own stuff that he brought, some others are from our 'Cure for the Common Breast' foundation. And the rest is from our money making racket."

"Can you show me around? I'd like to find out what all these expenses are for."

"Certainly, follow me…"

Kayain takes him to the back of the room where Biggs was typing away on a computer.

"As you already know, this is Biggs, our contract dealer, and Shyster extraordinaire."

"Shyster?"

"Ah-ha I mean entrepreneur."

"Right… So mister Biggs, what are you selling?"

"Righ' now, a'hm sellin' pills ter rich folk," he said turning from the screen. "My suck-err- Customers' jus' click on me ads tha' I put up, then ah sell em' some ruddy stuff ah found."

"Stuff you found?"

"Well, I have a general understandin' of wha' they do, just ah don't care which ruddy pills I send em'."

"This seems so wrong…"

"As long as ya didn' buy from me site, yer ok."

"Oh… what was your site called?"

"Performance plus plus dot com."

Lord Daniel suddenly looked a bit worried.

"Supposing someone did order from that site… I'm not saying it's me! But what if someone ordered from the-," he hesitated a moment, then said," –Penis enlargement section?"

"Ah, me mos' cleaver ruse. When they say they wan' their winky bigger, I jus' ship em somedat Viagra. Done deal, it's bigger. One hundred percent guaranteed."

"Oh," he said looking relieved.

"Except ifn I sent them the blue bottle… I dunno who got those but ah accidentally sent out somedat fertility pills fer women…"

Lord Daniel suddenly looked ill.

"Or was it fer horses? Ah forget which…"

"No need to look so upset LD," said Kayain. "We can totally pay back everything on the money we're making here."

"I dunno," said Daniel woozily. "I'm having this very weird sensation… I'm feeling a strong craving for ice cream and chocolate with a side order of hay."

------------------------------------------------

Cherry and Lady Darkness drank and chatted pleasantly, when there was another knock at the door.

"We've had so many guests this evening," said Cherry. "I'm beginning to think we're just letting anyone in."

She answered the door to stare in the face of another very rich and powerful man by the name of Justin Sinclair, better known as the Freedom Phalanx's own Manticore.

"Can I help you?" asked Cherry curiously. She was already aware of who he was, she'd seen Manticore enough in the papers, plus word traveled around in the astral realm on identities.

He brightened up and said," I'm looking for someone here named… Biggs?"

"Oh," she said, reading his thoughts. "OH! Heh, please, step this way."

Smirking to herself, she said," So… Has he been causing trouble?"

"No, no. Nothing like that… It's just about these vitamins he sold me…"

Trying not to laugh she said," Oh, did you _enjoy_ them?"

"Not particularly, no."

They entered the lab and came over to Biggs. Cherry crossed her arms and said," Biggs, this is Justin Sinclair."

Justin looked at her for a moment and said," How'd you know that? I didn't even say my name."

She waved a hand dismissively and said," I'm like your friend Shalice…"

"Oh," he said returning his gaze to Biggs. Sister Psyche of the Freedom Phalanx was the psion of their team. Shalice is her real name.

"Sinclair… I don' remember no Sinclair," said Biggs.

"Well you should. My usual vitamin store was burned down by the Hellions. The manager recommended several of their online stores, when I hit a link to your site. You sold the same brand I buy, and well… It didn't work."

"Didn' work? The hell do ya mean it didn' work? Vitamins' are supposed ter be fer yer health, not ter do somethin'!"

"That's exactly it… they _did_ something…"

"Oh? What did they do?"

Justin looked uncomfortable and lowered his voice," They gave me these nasty welts…"

"Ah don't see any welts on ya."

"No, but let's just say sitting down has been a real problem."

"Ooooh…" said Biggs, now trying to hide his smile. "No' a problem sir! Perhaps we sent ye the wrong bottle. Wha' was the vitamins again?"

"Robust, Men's daily supplement."

"Hand me the ol' bottle… Thank ya… I was righ' this is the wrong bottle! Now, yer in luck, I have this here fer the welts, and this is yer real vitamins… An' as an added bonus, I'm willin' to offer ye some designer Toilet Paper."

"Some _what_?!"

"Kayain! Come over here, I have someone for ya!"

"Yo!" said Kayain. "Be right over."

Kayain comes over shakes Justin's hand and grins broadly. He said," What can I do for you?"

"This lad got the wrong bottle of vitamins, I'm offerin' him some free designer Toilet Paper. Tell 'im wha' tha' is."

"Ah, some of our finest work to date. Check this out man…" said Kayain as he motions for Justin to follow him.

"Now, are we in agreement that _one_ of the most satisfying experiences in life is derived from taking a really good dump?"

"Uh… Now that you mention it…"

"Good. So, after you do your doody, you want some good toilet paper to seal the deal right?"

"Right…"

"I mean come on, toilet paper that irritates your ass feels like wiping with newspaper. It takes away from the satisfaction that was just relieved not to long ago. You want only the best, nice soft and easy."

"Well, yea it goes without saying."

"Then imagine that, you have all that going for you, and you have your custom designed Toilet paper… What we're offering is this," he says as he shows Justin a roll of Toilet Paper with pictures on it.

"Whoa, there's people's faces on that."

"Yea, these pictures are our worst enemies, the Ages sect. Now imagine taking the most relieving crap you've ever taken, top it off with wiping your ass with a comforting tissue that has your enemies face on it."

"Oh, I see… That's a pretty neat concept. There's a few people I'd want on my toilet paper," said Justin thoughtfully.

"Yea, we got a deal with the paper company, and they're going to go with our idea."

"Neat… so I can have one of these?"

"Sure, you can have yours custom if you have some enemies to post up… At the moment we only have a few with Lord Recluse on it. That one's our most popular one so far."

"Hey, I'll take some of those. Heck, I'll _pay_ for those."

In the end, Justin ended up spending more money then he'd planned on. After he left, Cherry came back and said," Do you guys know who that was?"

"Dunno," said Biggs. "Nice guy, gave us lots o' money."

"That was the hero Manticore, from the Freedom Phalanx."

"Really? Uh-oh, Ah hope he dosen' wear really tight tights…."

"What did you do?"

"I might've gave 'em Viagra pills…"

------------------------------------------------

"Well, I must be going now," said Lady Darkness. "Things to attend to, and I'm getting shorter on time."

"All right then," said Cherry. "Thank you for your company."

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to astral step home."

Astral stepping was like going to the astral plane, only your physical form comes with you, and emerges at your destination.

"I don't really do that often," said Cherry. "I've heard of some really bad things happening to people's bodies when something goes wrong."

"I do it all the time," she said dismissively. "Nothing to it once you get used to it."

"Ah, maybe you can show me how it's done? May I accompany you for a bit? I must meet someone there as well."

"Of course," she said with a smile.

The two sat on the floor by the couch as they quietly meditated. Soon after, they went into a trance. Lady Darkness's body seemed to fade out slowly, while Cherry's stayed intact.

"Nothing to it, see?" said Lady Darkness.

"Not bad," said Cherry. "I'm afraid I don't have much time to practice that though."

They glided down several streams until Lady Darkness came to a stop at a small pillar of light that resembled a doorway.

"This is my stop. Thanks again."

"I'll see you around," said Cherry waving.

As she made her way back to the channels of light, she felt uneasy. She had encountered no one on the way here, and had not seen anyone or anything besides the streams.

There was no sounds besides the hum of the astral streams, and this also made her uneasy. It felt as if the astral plane was deserted in a hurry.

She continued along, cautiously to find Eden. When she came to their usual spot, Eden was not there.

"Eden?" she called out.

She looked around, bumped into someone while pacing backwards.

"Eden!" she said as she turned around.

"Cherry," said Eden solemnly. "Have you any idea what's going on here?"

"You noticed it too hua? It feels… empty."

"Yes. You're the only one I've seen so far. How is it that no one is here at all?"

"I have no idea, something just doesn't feel right. Shall we look around a bit?"

"I think so. We should be on guard still."

The two searched around, focusing on trying to sense someone else.

"I'm sensing something," said Eden. "It's clouded, like it's in a thick fog."

"I can't sense it," said Cherry. "Let's see here… And what the hell was that?!"

They both heard a sound. It sounded like a creature crying out.

They hurried to where they heard it, and came upon a creature seemingly made of energy on the ground.

It began to make noises that seemed to be an unidentifiable language.

"I don't understand," said Eden. "This is a Kheldian, and I've never seen one in it's pure form, let alone hear it's own language."

"I'm vaguely familiar with Kheldians," said Cherry. "_Can you understand me_?" she continued in Matronian.

It didn't respond.

"_How about now_?" she tried in Q'Hagian.

Still no response.

"_Kheldian, can you hear me?_" she tried in Sarian, which was as close to Astral language as she knew.

"_I hear…_" it replied.

"_Good, can you tell me what happened?_"

"_Yes… Attack…_"

"_Don't strain yourself._"

"_Nictus attacking, Kheldian defending… Many Nictus… Outnumbered… Must flee… Trap Set…_"

Cherry nodded. She wasn't terribly familiar with Kheldian or Nictus since they kept to themselves. The word 'trap' though, was universal. That was something she could understand.

"_What is the trap?_"

"_To trap… trap… humans…_"

"_Trap humans? Nictus are trapping humans? How?"_

"_N…n… nictus…_" was the last thing it said before it faded away.

"No!' said Eden.

"Damnit!" said Cherry. "Eden, we need to leave, _now_!"

"What's going on?!"

"The Nictus are trapping people, and the Kheldians are fighting them off as best they can. I suggest we leave now before we get caught in it."

Eden nodded, and they both went on to find the nearest slipstream. They found the closest and were violently pushed away when they approached it.

They remained in the air, staring at the stream as it seemed to fade away. After it did, it seemed as though the whole world was fading to darkness.

Everything was dark now, and Cherry had to squint to find Eden.

"Has this ever happened before?"

"No," said Eden looking worried. "This is unsettling, I can't seem to concentrate on any powers."

"Me neither… HEY!"

Their feet seemed to touch the floor, which instantly began to suck them into the darkness.

"Oh no! This is the trap!" said Cherry.

"I… Can't draw my powers!" said Eden.

"I'm trying!" said Cherry.

The darkness all around them was sapping their energy away as they sank deeper into the dark quicksand.

"It's no use!" said Cherry as she was already up to her shoulders in darkness.

"If only I could…" Eden began. "No! Cherry!" she said as Cherry's head went under.

Eden struggled in vein as the pool of darkness dragged her under. Then suddenly, there was a light…

------------------------------------------------

If anyone was watching Cherry's body on the carpet, they would have seen something very odd.

She would be switching violently as a dark mist enveloped her. When the mist cleared, she would be gone, leaving no trace at all.

Of course no one _did_ notice this, because everyone was busy doing what they do best; making trouble.

Kayain sat next to Regina with a large easel and paper on it.

Written on it was: _Episode one, The Vigilantes in Paragon City_. _Kayain, sexiest, strongest, smrtst. Danyel, magic, not nearly as sexy as Kayain, stoopd hat. Diana, goofy, comic relief, also not nearly as sexy as Kayain._

Kayain thought for a moment, and wrote down: _Cherry, short, angry, little boobs, angry, colorful face, angry, not nearly as smrt as Kayain, angry, also wants Kayain's body badly, and angry._

He smiled and said," Now for you Regina."

"I'm the sexiest female right?"

"Of course…" He said as he wrote: _Regina, hot red-head, tan, big boobies, ALMOST as sexy as Kayain. _

"What about smart?" she said, laughing.

"Is that important to you?"

"Of course!"

"Ok then," he said as he wrote: _Also ALMOST as smrt as Kayain, bur smrtr then Cherry._

"Perfect," she said as she grinned. "Now about the whole 'you' based plotline, I think it's a bit much."

"You're probably right; I mean I am the scientifically proven sexiest man alive… I might arouse too many women and get complaints from their jealous lovers…"

Regina was not going to really speak her mind about this, on the basis that she was being paid handsomely.

"No, no, what I'm saying is it's about _all_ of us, not just you."

"I hear ya… but everyone else is sooo boring! Er, except you that is…"

"Look, I'll get us some help. Someone with years more cartoon experience than you have."

"Who?"

"DIANA!" Regina called out.

Moments later Diana poked her head in and said," Someone bellow at me?"

"Yea," said Regina turning on her char. "You wanna help write a cartoon?"

"Would I?!" she said clapping excitedly.

"Good, you're hired, your starting salary is nothing, but if you work hard enough I'll triple that."

"You had me at 'Cartoon'."

"Done deal, pull up a chair, we'll need some ideas."

"Hold on, I've got something in the oven, lemme tend to that and I'll be back!"

Kayain smirks and says," I've taught you well."

When Diana returns she reads the board and says," Can't I have big boobs like Regina in the cartoon?"

Kayain sighs and says," Fine…"

"You know," said Diana "We should do that to all the women."

"Why?" asked Regina.

"Reason one, this is an anime. ALL women portrayed are not in proportion; big head, big eyes, big boobies, or a combination of all of them. So essentially all the women are nothing like real life."

"This is true," said Kayain.

"Next reason, you could run it for an ad in your 'Cure for the Common Breast foundation'. Just show all of us wearing bikini's on an ad or something."

Kayain rubbed his chin and said," I _like_ where this is going."

"Third reason… everyone's happy, ok?"

"All right, all right, you've made your point," said Kayain. "Done deal. Now what about outfits?"

"School girl outfits," said Diana. "Definitely. It gives the impression of innocence, which guys like. Nothing too scantly clad, otherwise we'll come off as desperate for viewers."

"And big boobs doesn't?" said Regina under her breath.

"Ok, school girl outfits for you ladies," said Kayain rubbing his chin. "What about the guys?"

"For you lil' bro, I'd say go with simple pants and some kind of macho muscle tee shirt… That RIPS OFF during a fight scene!"

"On it's own or I rip it off?"

"On it's own. Looks more badass that way."

"Sweet… Can Regina's shirt rip off too? Heh heh."

"Oh, ha ha," said Regina crossing her arms. "And while we're on that note, I don't want any nude transformation sequences!"

"Aaw, come on! It's like you were reading my mind on that," said Kayain. "Please?!"

Regina squinted and said," Err… Oh hell, fine. Just make sure not to _show_ any real nudity on me."

"Oh, Yes Indeed!"

"Is it possible to work in Giant Robot Mechs?" asked Diana.

"Oh, damn good idea," said Kayain. "I'll see if I can work that in."

"What about the fighting scenes, Lots of martial arts, and powers, and mystical mumbo-jumbo?"

"And panty shots," added Kayain.

"And panty shots, of course," said Regina. "What about like us learning secret techniques from mystical objects?"

"Yes, yes!" said Kayain. "And those mystical objects can work into the nude transformation sequences! It works out great!"

"Hey, we're not going to have it where it takes like ten or twenty episodes to charge up a super move against a strong villain are we?" said Diana.

"No way. Instead we can stretch out a fight a few episodes long by adding stupid dialogue about power levels, secret techniques, or flashbacks… Any of those work just as well," said Kayain. He made a fishing pole gesture and said," Then we Reeeeeel in the cash!"

"Who's going to draw this?" asked Regina. "I mean I can draw some mean looking stick figures, but a fully funded animation program isn't what I'm used to."

"Not to worry, I talked to Lord Daniel, and he knows a guy, who knows a guy, who knows the director of an animation company in Paragon City. I'll use the hook-up I got, then alls we have to do is write the script."

"Neat," said Diana. "Where should we start in the scenes?"

"How about on the ship right before we came to Paragon City?"

"Sounds good to me!"

------------------------------------------------

The mysterious girl named Crystal stood pawing the air with her long, discolored nails. She was confused at the moment about this strange development, since nothing like this had ever happened in the routine.

And to her, routine was everything.

On this day, every week, Eden would go into her meditative trance, and Crystal would wait there for her to wake up. Then they'd both go down to the library chamber and study on the many tombs Eden had. More or less it would be Eden doing the reading, and Crystal doing the watching of her reading just in case the book decided to up and attack them.

Then after that they'd have dinner in the quiet dining area, where they would have a pleasant conversation. The conversation was usually one sided because Crystal was not a very good conversationalist. In fact she had the social grace of ragweed.

Crystal did not get out much, and did not develop people skills. Orphaned when she was younger, Eden found her and took her in. Eden then found that she was gifted and trained her. Crystal learned how to use and control her newly found abilities to create illusions and nightmares in her enemies.

While not an official hero of Hero Corps, she adopted the name Widow. She wore a red outfit, with flared sleeves that covered her hands, and a black pant bottom. She had thick, dark hair that reached her waistline, and most covered her face.

Widow haunted the streets at night, rarely being seen, and striking terror in the hearts of villains using an array of terrifying illusions.

Unfortunately she didn't have the ability to make friends, let alone make much conversation. But something she always had was the routine, and the routine was never broken until now.

She sat there, looking at the empty space, as though Eden might pop back in at any moment.

She continued to wait for half an hour, sometimes pawing the air again, and sometimes scratching her nose. She broke her own routine by turning her head curiously to the side for a moment, and figured that would never work and went back to sitting normally.

After another hour went by, she grunted and frowned. This probably wasn't some kind of test from Eden, so she took it upon herself to go find what happened to her.

Crystal thought she might not be able to find Eden by herself, so she went to go find the rest of her teammates of The Brotherhood of Justice.

She came to the dorm area that Betty Taylor lived in. Crystal did not know that there was such a thing as manners and courtesy. So she decided the most polite thing she could do was to bother Betty at two in the morning by breaking in to her house and standing over her bed watching her sleep.

Betty grumbled a bit, and opened her eyes to see something very scary and ghostlike hanging over her bed, with long dark hair covering it's head completely. She had only ever seen things like that in horror movies, which she disliked, because she hated to be frightened like that. But this was positively heart stopping.

Betty turned pale, and opened her mouth, but no scream came out. Her heart raced as she stared at the figure standing right over her, breathing steadily. Then the paralyzed part of her mind began to process something.

Ghosts don't breathe.

"C-C-Crystal?" she stammered.

Crystal nodded.

"OhmyGod, ohmyGod… You scared the daylights out of me! I nearly had a heart attack!"

Crystal said nothing.

"Can you get off my bed? You still look creepy in the moonlight... Thanks."

Betty sat up and said," Now, what's so important that you had to give me nightmares for a week for?"

Crystal wondered how to explain that Eden had gone missing. This had proven as amusing as Lassie telling people that little Timmy fell down the well.

"What? I really don't get you."

Crystal thought for a moment. She moved her hands to create an illusion of Eden, and a replay of what Crystal had witnessed.

"Eden? What happened to her?"

Crystal shrugged.

"Humm… I think you should take me to the base."

Crystal made a gesture as if to say," Finally!"

------------------------------------------------

Edward Taylor dried himself off after his shower. After his recent defeat against Kayain, he had a lot on his mind. Specifically what Kayain had said.

_Too many problems weighing me down_, he thought. _Humph, who does he think he is anyway?_

Edward sat on his bed, thinking about his problems. Many things came to mind. Lately he had been in a slump, and a bit depressed, but how could anyone but him know that?

He looked over to the side to a halfway drunk bottle of forty. He sighed and wondered whether to finish it or not.

_I've been drinking a lot of my problems away… Only thing is, they always come back._

He picked up a cigarette from a halfway finished pack. Again, he put it back down and grimaced.

_I don't know anymore…I just don't know… What am I doing? I'm not in the mood for anything…_

The phone rang.

_Maybe that's the grim reaper with some good news._

"Hello?" he said as he answered.

"Edward," said Betty. "We've got a problem. Eden's disappeared, and we don't have any idea where she went."

"Maybe she just went to the store. You never know. I mean they gotta eat down there don't they?"

"Edward, I'm serious! Crystal is really worried because Eden just disappeared right front of her!"

"Maybe she doesn't want to be near her. Hell, I know _I_ don't."

"Edward please, we really need your help."

Edward paused for a moment and sighed. "Look, I can help you but not now. It's too dark and too late. I'll call you in the morning."

"Yea right! I'll call _you_ in the morning! Because you'll just 'forget'."

"Humm, maybe I'm becoming too predictable."

"Good night _Edward_," she said bitterly as she slammed the phone.

He sighed and laid back down in bed.

_That's reeeeal good Edward,_ he thought sourly. _Make the one person in your life who gives a damn about you, hate you._

------------------------------------------------

Later that same night, there was a knock on Danyel's door.

"Dan! You decent in there?" Danyel heard Kayain say.

"One sec…" said Dan as he put on the nearest thing. He opened the door and said," It's pretty late eh? Nice to see you knocking this time."

"Yea-" began Kayain but made a face. "DUDE! Come on now!"

"What?" he yawned and looked down. "Oh."

"What the hell is wrong with you man? There's another image I want to burn out of my mind!"

"It's a bit dark in here… I _thought_ these were my robes… apparently not."

"Mmm, Danny," cooed Diana sleepily from the bed. "My nightgown doesn't look very good on you."

"I thought it felt a bit silky… heh… Sorry man."

"Just get dressed already! It's important. Cherry's missing."

"Missing? You're sure?"

"Hell man, you know she doesn't go anywhere at this time of night. She's usually in the room with me, trying to… well, you know. But the point is, she's not there. I haven't seen her at all, and she's not responding to communications."

"I don't know what to say," said Danyel. "It _is_ odd of her to just sneak out… where was she last?"

"Last I saw her was before Lord Daniel left. Other then that, not at all."

Diana, fully alert now sits up covering herself in the bed sheet and says," Kayain, are you sure that was the last time you saw her?"

"Positive."

"'Cause in this city when someone goes missing, it's very serious," she said. She looked downward and said," I should know about that…"

"That's why I'm worried. No word on where she's gone, no note, no nothing."

"That is indeed odd," said Danyel as he rubbed his chin. "Possibly she could have stepped out of bounds of our protection for a moment, and she was taken then…"

"Who knows man? The point is she's gone already. I'm going to go wake the others for an emergency meeting. And you… ugh, get dressed."

------------------------------------------------

"What happened to Phoebe?" asked Quest to Adagio. "She was meditating and up and disappeared?"

"It looked that way," said Adagio. "Couldn't say for sure but she's not responding on the communicator. She was sitting right there, then suddenly this black mist formed around her, and covered her body completely. Next thing you see is the mist clear and she's gone."

"Curious…" said Quest. "Where is Eva?"

"Where she _always_ is…"

"Trying on new outfits," they both said.

The two went to Eva's new room and Quest knocked.

"Eva? May I come in?"

"Please do."

When the two entered, she was looking at a large three sided mirror examining her outfit.

"I figure since we're in a world full of costume clad heroes, I might want to look the part," she said as she turns around. "How do I look?"

Quest didn't bother to suppress his grin. He said," Very nice. I don't suppose it's to far fetched to ask if you're wearing underwear right?"

She grinned slyly at him and said," Oh, Quest dear, you should know that that question isn't far fetched."

"Heh," he said as he recomposed himself. "Eva, we have a problem. Phoebe's disappeared."

"And how did this happen?"

"Adagio said she just vanished unnaturally while meditating. There was a black mist and then she disappeared into it."

Eva thought for a moment.

"Black mist," she asked Adagio. "What was the consistency of it? Thick like soup, or smoky?"

"It was thick, but definitely had a misty quality to it."

Eva sat on her four poster bed and thought for a moment.

"Black like paint, or black like space?"

"Like as if it were a black hole and sucking the light out from around it."

"A rift," she said more to herself. "Someone's cut a rift and pulled her in… but who…"

"Hello? Eva? We're still here," said Quest impatiently.

"Yea, something definitely pulled her physical body into the astral plane."

"I didn't know that was possible."

"It is," said Eva dismissively waving her hand. "It's like the opposite of what happens here in the sense that you walk the astral plane with your spirit, and your physical body is kept inside. People have to be very careful, lest they loose their physical body forever… but it's done for traveling purposes."

"Then what happened to Phoebe?"

"I know for a fact that she doesn't astral step… something must have abducted her while in her spirit form and astral stepped her body with her…"

"The Vigilantes?"

She waved away the thought and said," None of those losers could muster up a decent spell even if their lives depended on it. Plus it doesn't seem their style anyway."

"Then who?"

"Good question. Let's assemble who we have and we can look over this thoroughly."

------------------------------------------------

Cherry found herself lying down on a lawn chair next to a gigantic pool. The sun felt very comfortable, and looking at the pool, she thought it might feel better after taking a dip in the pool.

Instead though she also found herself to be surrounded by very tall, muscular pool boys in Speedos. Some were fanning her gently with a palm leaf and some had food and drinks on a tray.

She smiled as a few pool boys began to rub her shoulders, and manicure her fingernails.

Suddenly she began to get a throbbing headache, and the vision was changing. When she looked, all of the pool boy's heads now resembled Kayain, and the ones with the trays spilled stuff on the floor and her. The one rubbing her shoulders farted very loudly, and the ones doing her nails managed to file them down to almost nothing.

"My head," she said as she nursed some spot on her head.

"Cherry?" she heard a distant voice.

"My head," she repeated.

"Cherry, wake up!"

"No, I don't want to…"

She looked up at all the bumbling Kayain's and said," Never mind, I'm waking up…"

Everything slowly blurred out and things began to come back into focus. Cherry was laying face down on a cold steel floor. She began to get up and realized her head was hurting very badly.

"You took a very nasty fall," she heard someone say. "Well yours was the worst of the two."

Her vision swam back into view as she sat up. Taking a look around she recognized this place to be some kind of holding cell.

She rubbed her hand where the throbbing pain was, and felt a trickle of blood and the smashed remains of her communicator earpiece.

"You came flying out the wall and slammed head first into the bed post there," said the voice as if answering her unsaid question.

"Where am I?"

"Where indeed," said another voice that Cherry finally recognized.

"Eden?"

"Yes," she said as Cherry turned around to look at her. "And this young lady is named Ari"

"Nice to meet you," said Ari.

Ari was fairly short, but only slightly taller then Cherry. Dark, shoulder length hair, and beautiful green eyes. Cherry took a guess at her age and figured her around late teens to early twenties, just on the verge of adulthood.

"You too Miss Ari, I'm Cherry."

"Ari, Cherry," said Ari half amused. "Hope people don't get us confused."

"Not likely. Ari, do you have any idea where we are?"

"From what I overheard we're in a facility somewhere in Independence Port. Guards say that a ship is coming to take us to their main facility on Striga Isle."

Eden looked suddenly very worried.

"Striga Isle? Are you sure they said that? If so then escape will be problematical."

"Yea," said Ari. "Where exactly is that?"

"Striga Isle is off the coast of Paragon City… but it's the largest and most heavily guarded bases of the Council."

_The Council_, thought Cherry. _Damn, and we just busted a few of their heads. And why does my head still hurt- Oh no!_

"I can't use my powers!" said Cherry suddenly.

"Neither can I," said Eden. She pointed to a thin black collar around her neck and said," This is what's doing that. You have one too."

Cherry felt her neck, and sure enough there was a collar around it.

"We've tried to get them off but we just couldn't," said Ari, thumbing her collar. "They're sealed on somehow that I can't explain."

Cherry thought for a moment.

"Ari, have you seen anyone else besides us?"

"There are people all over the place. This cell area has nothing but women, and I heard them say they are keeping the men somewhere else."

"Was it all people from the astral realm?"

Ari looks down and says," I think so yea… It was my first attempt to astral step, and this happened…"

Cherry looked at her and realized how young and inexperienced she was. She said," Don't worry about it. I don't astral step myself. I just don't like to run the risks… Rest assured that if you were able to step in, and not have your body drift away is a good sign. It's not your fault you ended up here, it's theirs. Not bad though for your first time... You could master it."

Ari gave a weak smile, and Eden said," Did you happen to hear anything about why we're here?"

"Not a thing, sorry," said Ari sadly. "What are we going to do?"

Cherry put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly and said," Our disappearances won't go unnoticed. Someone will come for us, I'm sure."

------------------------------------------------

Danyel came out of his trance with a large gasp of air. He looked around at everyone looking at him.

"What did you find?" asked Kayain eagerly.

"It was… odd. There was no one there, and I found trace elements of a very strange energy all over the place."

"Anything useful?" said Kayain impatiently.

"That _is_ useful," said Danyel. "DeVall, I need your assistance in this one."

"Sure," said DeVall. "What kind of energy are we looking for?"

"Oh, you'll know it when you feel it. We've got to track the source."

"Righ'," said Biggs. "An wha' about the rest of us eh?"

"I want you guys to find out what you can about… Kheldians."

"What the heck is a Kheldian?" said Kayain.

"Native beings in the Astral realm," said Danyel. "Azuria talked about them before, and I remember encountering a few in the realm. The energy seems familiar… in an odd sort of way."

"Kheldians. Got it," said Kayain. "Whatever you think will help, we'll get right on it."

"The rest of you guys get to it. I need to know all I can. DeVall and I will be tracking down the source."

They all nodded and went. Danyel said," Kayain, relax a bit. Getting all tense like that won't get Cherry back any faster."

"I know… But you know how worried I get about her. What with people always trying to kill her from all sides… Someone's gotta be there right?"

Danyel smiled and said," We're _all_ here for that. Don't try and take the burden all on your own again."

"I won't… and Dan?"

"Yea?"

"About me being worried and concerned… Don't tell her, or she won't stop teasing me about it."

------------------------------------------------

In the Brotherhood of Justice's base, Betty Taylor sat at a computer terminal checking for the anomalies inside the base within a few hours since Crystal didn't communicate what time exactly this happened.

The base's sensors had only picked up a small burst of energy in the room she supposedly disappeared in, but nothing more.

Still, she didn't give up. She kept working late into the night, when she came across an early morning article talking about mysterious disappearances of several mystics and psions. Reading the article she found that all of them disappeared in the same way; a dark mist swallowed them and then they were gone without a trace.

She looked for anything else useful, but found none since it was recently discovered. She yawned and then was startled by the buzz noise from her instant messenger. Someone had sent her a message that read:

**TylarT: Hello Betty, this is Doctor Thomas. You gave me your IM name, and I finally got my account up. I wonder though, what you're doing up so late?**

She was a bit surprised at this. She hadn't really expected him to actually send her a message, though she did hope he did.

She smiled a bit and typed:

**Trekiegrl119: Doctor Thomas! Glad to hear from you… I should say that you're up pretty late yourself.**

He responded:

**TylarT: Several reasons. First, my captain has been abducted. I just read somewhere that this was happening all over the place. Next, I came to a few websites looking for some information on the Kheldians. Third, I remembered that you had given me this name to contact you if I needed something. Well I do. I need all the help I can get on finding information on Kheldians.**

**Trekiegrl119: I see. I know about the abductions, my-**

She stopped herself before putting 'Supergroup leader'.

**Friend is a mystic. She was abducted as well, and I'm investigating this. And about Kheldians… I don't know much, that's not my field of work you know? But you suspect the Kheldians have something to do with this?**

**TylarT: Our team's wizard Danyel thinks so. Something about traveling in another astral plane or some nonsense like that. Kheldians are beings that live there, and he said when he was there he noticed Kheldian energy all around.**

Kheldians, she had a clue now.

**Trekiegrl119: Interesting. Perhaps there is some validity in all his magical nonsense yes?**

**TylarT: Lol, perhaps. But if they have been taken somewhere, there's nothing a little science couldn't handle to get them back.**

**Trekiegrl119: Let me get back with you on this. I'll look up Kheldians from all my sources.**

**TylarT: Thank you, it would be much appreciated.**

_Dang_, she thought. _We're both going to be very busy… I needed to ask him something important._

**Trekiegrl119: Brb**

------------------------------------------------

Eva patrolled the Astral plane searching for clues. It seemed everywhere there was a residue of energy in several places. It was like looking at a scene where a bad accident had occurred and left chunks everywhere.

One thing was for sure though; it was all the exact same type of energy in each spot. If she could get some more time, she could track down the source's location.

"Hey you!" she heard someone say.

Looking around she found two people coming toward her.

"Oh… it's _you_," she heard him say.

"Wizard Danyel," she said nastily to him. "And our very own deserter DeVall."

"Eva," said DeVall. "I _thought_ I smelled tuna somewhere. You should change your thong every now and then."

"Up yours," she said while throwing him the finger. Eva crossed her arms and said," And what are you losers doing out here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing… whore," said Danyel.

Eva scoffed at him and said," That's really none of your business, asshole."

"Likewise."

Eva proceeded to read his mind, and was blocked out magically.

"Oh, I don't think so," said Danyel.

"Humph! I don't have time for this!" she said as she turned and flew off.

_The nerve of that man!_ She thought furiously. _I hate them all so much! Self righteous bastards… But still…_

She turned to look at what they were doing, and saw them searching the area just as she did.

_Humm… They're looking for something too… Oh wouldn't that be wonderful if they captured Cherry as well? Wait… maybe they did and that's what they're looking for!_

She turned around and said," Oh Wizard Danyel, are you looking for Cherry perhaps?"

He looked at her darkly and said," Go away."

She grinned broadly and said," Ah, I knew it! They got her too didn't they? Oh what _are_ you going to do now that your ironing-board captain is gone?"

Unexpectedly Danyel shot a bolt of energy that was enough to make her do several flips in midair as she tried to regain balance.

"Not fair! I wasn't ready!"

"And there'll be plenty more where that came from if you don't piss off right now!" said Danyel heatedly.

Eva frowned and sped off.

_You'll never be able to get rid of me that easily. I'm going to let you do all the work while I sneak up and take all the credit._

------------------------------------------------

"Everyone shut up and listen," Cherry heard from outside the holding cell. "You are all to be transported to another facility where you will undergo a series of tests in your abilities. Those collars you wear prevent you from using any of your powers. Try to remove them and you will experience pain as you've never felt before. The collar can only be removed using Nictus energy, and therefore you are unable to remove it on your own. Try to escape and we will find you with the collar's tracking device. I doubt you could make it far at all since I could bring you pain with but a thought."

Cherry listened closer.

"You will all comply and step out of the cells and form two single file lines along the halls where our officers will escort you to your box."

"Did he just say a box?" said Ari.

Cherry motioned for her to keep quiet.

"Furthermore, any resistance whatsoever will only bring you severe punishment through the collar. If I don't like the way you look at me, you will get pain. If you do not keep up, you will get pain. If I am in a bad mood, you will get pain. Have I made myself clear?"

There was a few nods all around, but nothing he heard. Cherry, Ari, and Eden suddenly fell to the floor as though they'd been punched.

Pain came in electrifying shocks touching every nerve in their bodies. It hurt to move, and breathe as they all writhed on the ground screaming.

When it was over, they were all twitching on the ground, gasping for air.

"I asked you a question. If I am dissatisfied, again you will receive another. Now, have I made myself perfectly clear?"

"YES!" said a chorus of women from the cells.

"Very good. Archon Steinberg will be your warden should you have any more discipline problems."

Cherry was no stranger to pain. She caught her breath first and stood up as the cell doors opened.

"Dat is only a sample of our power," she heard another voice say. "I am Archon Steinberg, and you vill all comply immediately."

Eden got up next, and her and Cherry helped Ari get up.

"What are we going to do?!" she said terrified.

"We'll find a way out," said Cherry. "For now, save your strength and don't be defiant. It won't serve any purpose at this point. Pain can make you do things you normally wouldn't, and dulls your senses. We need all of our senses for this."

As they came out, the formed two separate lines parallel to each other. Some women who didn't come out immediately were given another dose of pain.

The women were led to a hallway with several twists and turns. Archon Steinberg stopped in front of a door with several tables and people wearing lab coats sitting behind them.

Cherry looked ahead at the people in front of her. The first women in this line were taken up to the table, where the men in lab coats indicated the table in front of them and said," Put your head down here."

Some of the women obediently put their heads down in fear of the pain they would receive, and the others that didn't were given a shock of pain that made them fall over.

She saw a guard pick one of the women up by the hair and slam her head on the table.

"We gave you an order!" he yelled at her. "You WILL comply!"

The poor woman was sobbing loudly, but not even the men in lab coats spared any sympathy as they grabbed her earlobe and shoved a metal spike through it to make room for a circular earring shoved through it. The earring itself seemed composed of silver and some very small circuitry. Cherry assumed it has something to do with what they were being taken away for.

Still holding the woman's head the guard yelled," If any of you mess with the transmitter, you will receive pain! Do not touch the transmitter, do you understand?"

"Yes," they said in unison.

Cherry took this time to look around at how many people were here. She mentally counted around fifty in front of her, and turned her head to count possibly eighty behind her. When she turned her head back around, she was just in time to see a rifle but slam into her face.

"Eyes to the front at all times!" he yelled at her. "That goes for the rest of you! Stand up straight and look forward!"

Grimacing, she was on the ground facing backwards. She looked to see a pair of guards drag out an older woman from the cell with a young girl screaming at them.

"She can't walk! Please! Only her powers allow her to walk!"

The guards threw her down and began to stomp on her.

"Get up!" Cherry was grabbed by the hair and yelled at," I SAID GET UP!"

She was forced back into standing position as the guard went to harass someone else.

She heard the guards behind still hitting the girl as Archon Steinberg made his way back there.

"Vhat is ze problem?" he said.

"This old bat won't move at all! She doesn't talk, or listen, or anything."

"And ze girl?"

"She was trying to defend the hag!"

"I see… Young lady who are you and vhy are you helping zis slave?"

"I'm Eloise… and she's… My Grandma…" the girl coughed.

"Grandmozer, I see. And vhat is her problem?"

The girl took a moment to catch her breath and said," She's crippled. She uses her powers to hear and walk. She's also loosing her sight so her powers allow her to see as well."

"And so ze collars, zay von't allow her to hear, see, or valk?"

"No, it won't."

"Humm… In zat case I vill handle zhis situation myself. You, young lady, get in line like ze rest of them. I vill take care of your Grandmozer personally."

"Y-you will?"

"I promise."

Cherry's instincts kicked in at this point. Her breathing quickened a bit and she whispered to Ari behind her.

"Cover your ears."

"What?" she whispered back.

"Just do it!" Cherry said more insistently.

She didn't see if Ari did or not, but Cherry looked down and closed her eyes.

A single gunshot rang out, along with a sickening wet noise. The girl screamed after that in anguish and in pain.

Cherry felt Steinberg pass by her again going back to the front of the line.

When she opened her eyes again it was her turn to have a transmitter shoved in her ear. She did so without complaint or flinching.

"Your name is now 004821," said the lab man. "Remember it, because that is what we will address you by from now on."

The next thing she knew, she was being marched off into a very large crate with several other women.

Ari and Eden caught up with her and crammed inside as well. The heat in it's own was unbearable, combined with the lack of oxygen and water was enough to make anyone pass out.

Ari looked simply terrified. Cherry assumed she had never encountered anything like this before. Cherry had been in the hands of brutal murderers before. The treatment was no different from this; Merciless and inhumane.

She only prayed that no one else would ever have to see what she's seen, and experience what she's experienced.

Looking at Ari, she put a hand on her shoulder and said," I'm going to be honest Ari. This is only going to get worse from here and on. We need to stay together, and stay strong."

------------------------------------------------

Archon Xiao waited by the dockside as Archon Crane met up with him.

"Is everything prepared?" asked Crane as he lit up a cigarette.

"It is," said Xiao. "In a few minutes we will have all the nearby heroes completely busy. My brothers are working on that as we speak. We'll have just enough time to load up our 'supplies' and make a departure."

A large freighter parked in the dock was already being loaded with general goods. A dock foreman came up to Archon Crane and asked," Sir, I have here a few more crates you're loading in. I'm afraid we're going to have to inspect these as well."

"Not a problem sir," said Crane. "We will be happy to comply."

Xiao shot a look at Crane and they both smiled.

There was a very loud splash noise followed by an enormous wave coming from the sea. Xiao and Crane stepped behind a large pillar to avoid getting hit with water. The Foreman was completely soaked.

"What the hell?!" he said.

Looking over to another side of the dock he saw an enormous octopus emerge from the sea.

Lusca was it's name, and it was very temperamental. The giant octopus swatted the air as if swatting something unseen that was bothering it. In it's wake it destroyed several dockside buildings, and sunk many smaller ships with it's massive tentacles.

"NO! Not now!" said the foreman. "Call for help!"

Xiao and Crane smiled.

"You guys, get to safety now!" the foreman told them.

"We will," said Crane as the foreman took off running. "Oh that we will."

Crane radioed out that the operation was a success and they should move in the cargo now that everyone was distracted.

Within minutes, a small group of heroes came in to help battle the giant Octopus. Dockside workers all went back to a safe area to watch as the heroes fought Lusca.

Traffic on the streets came to a halt as the citizens came to watch the show. This allowed several large Semi's to skirt around the stopped cars and head to their destination.

When the first driver came to a halt in front of the ship, Crane issued orders for the trucks to unload their trailers. The ship's crane arm began to take the trailers one by one as they pulled up.

Xiao took a peek at the hero's progress with Lusca, and they were struggling, but keeping up the fight.

"Secured," said Crane as the last trailer was loaded. "Shall we?"

"Indeed," said Xiao as they boarded the freighter.


	9. Chapter 9 Illegal Aliens 2 of 2

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**Allright, I probably should use a disclaimer here because some of the characters here are also from fanficnet**

**First and foremost, the usual disclaimer... I own everything. I own City of Heroes and City of Villains. I own you, your family and your pet dog too. When I say I own everything, I mean everything. Because it makes so much sense for me to write fanfiction of my own stuff. I rock.**

**With that said, Here's a few things that I will make an exception for: RaneMetal owns Bard, Tempest, Sentry, Eden, and Widow. He has some great stories here in fanficnet under "The Brotherhood of Justice," Check em out.**

**Also DanielThorne owns Ari. His story is also in fanficnet under "The Abdictation of Daniel Thorne"**

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**Chapter 9: Illegal Aliens (Part 2 of 2)**

"See this?" said Danyel pointing to a spot in the air. "This one is the most recent one we've encountered. Given some time I could possibly track this one."

The two had made it safely into the Astral realm to track down Cherry.

"In that case, I'll track this one here," said DeVall.

"No, I need you available in case something goes wrong," said Danyel insistently.

DeVall looked skeptical. "If you insist."

Danyel began to trace a pattern with his hands in front of him. As his fingers moved, it made with it a trail of light that stayed in mid-air to form the patterns.

He concentrated on getting the forms exactly right, or the spell could be harmful. Several minutes later, he finally spoke," DeVall. I'm seeing a facility… Underground no doubt, with all the rock walls. I'm going to open a rift and we can get inside without detection. It's just going to be us for now, but I will call for the team to my location."

"Hey you two!" they heard someone say. "What are you doing here? It's very dangerous here!"

Danyel turned to see a woman approaching them. She was possibly a hero from the way she was dressed. She had on a grey and white starburst pattern body suit, silver hair, and a silver glow emanating from her eyes.

"And who are you?" asked Danyel.

"I am Moonfire of the Kheldian army. These grounds are very dangerous. There was a trap here, and many people were kidnapped."

"We already know that. My sister was taken."

"Then you should realize how dangerous it-"

"We're not leaving. This is family we're talking about. Besides I've already traced the energy signature, and we're going to astral step through."

"You have?" said Moonfire a bit surprised. "And you were going to go in by yourselves?"

"That's the idea, yea."

"You've thought of the consequences of this action, yes?"

"Seems like a simple idea to me. Go in, beat the hell out of whoever is responsible, and go home with the captives."

"I can't let you do that," said Moonfire.

"You won't stop me, I can guarantee you that."

"You misunderstand. I cannot let you do that without help. I will call my brothers and we shall accompany you."

Danyel looked at her for a moment and smiled. "Yea, I suppose that would be good too. Thanks. I'm Danyel by the way, and this is DeVall."

"Heya," said DeVall in a quiet tone.

"Good to meet you heroes," she said. "Please wait here, I shall return with my brethren."

Danyel nodded, and with that she transformed into her Kheldian form and took flight. He looked to the side at DeVall and said," Hey, what's with you all of a sudden?"

He grinned and said," That girl there is my dream girl."

Danyel could only stare.

"I mean she's got the silver hair, the glowing eyes, she's completely exotic."

"And," added Danyel. "Underneath all that, she's a floating symbiotic mass of squid-shaped energy."

"More to love," said DeVall.

DeVall was one of those types who enjoyed fantasy role-playing a bit too much. Sometimes he would actually dress in fantasy armor when hosting a role-playing session. His idea of a good woman was scantly clad in armor, while having some very odd feature; Animalistic with a tail, fur, and animal ears, angelic or demonic wings, multiple eyes, multiple breasts, multiple heads, or all of those features at the same time.

Although in the known universe, many of the races had some of these features, but not all at once. DeVall found it very convenient that while he travels with the Vigilantes, he meets every kind of 'woman of his dreams'.

"I, uh, really don't know what to say about that," admitted Danyel.

"Wonder if she's seeing anyone… Don't you think she's hot?"

"Well I-"

"Man I hope she's single. You think anyone beat me?"

"I _wish_ someone would…"

------------------------------------------------

As promised Moonfire had brought with her a cadre of Kheldians. Danyel opened a rift to the area that all the people had been kidnapped to.

The found the area to be very small and cramped. Some Kheldians had to tell the others not to come through yet as they were running out of space.

A Council guard was patrolling the cells, and heard a commotion from one of the cells. When he went to investigate he heard some very odd sounds, and a man saying," Go back! There's too many!"

The guard pulled his radio out and said," Command, this is Unit 560."

"_Unit 560?_" said the dispatcher.

"We have activity in the detention area. Are you aware of any prisoners who were left behind?"

"_Negative, 560. All prisoners were removed during the transportation._"

"Roger that. There appears to be people still in the cell. One cell in particular. Going to investigate."

"_Acknowledged. Sending in units 561 and 562 to assist._"

The guard approached the door cautiously and said," Hey, whoever's in there, you'd better not try anything funny or I'll shoot!"

The noises inside suddenly quieted, then the man's voice said," Damn it! Just blow the door up already!"

The guard's eyes widened as a bright light shone all around the edges of the door frame. It got brighter and brighter until it exploded into millions of fragments. After the explosion, what seemed like a sea of very angry Kheldians came pouring out of the room, each wailing a terrible cry for vengeance.

The guard was a pretty sensible man, and in a situation like this he knew what he had to do. So he promptly wet himself and screamed like a little girl as he ran all the way down the hall.

"This base is the Council's base," said Moonfire. "As I suspected, the Council had their hands in the attacks."

"So who are the council anyway?" asked Danyel.

"A group of militaristic villains, who like all villains, plot to take over the world. They have sided with our most dangerous enemies, the Nictus. And that is why we Kheldians fight the council as well."

The small armada stormed through the base like a wave of bright, squid-shaped death. Danyel followed along with Moonfire and DeVall.

"Find the commander, but don't kill him," said Danyel. "We need to communicate with him to find out where those people are."

As the stream of Kheldians came to a large intersection in the rocky hallways, half split one way, and the others went the other way. Danyel instructed DeVall to follow him down a third opening that they missed, while Moonfire continued down one of the corridors with her brethren.

"Security seems lax here," observed DeVall.

"It's probably because those kidnapped drew a lot of resources from them," said Danyel. "I suppose this base isn't as important now since the kidnapped aren't here anymore. I'm glad we hit this base early before they could get any reinforcements."

Ahead they saw a group of people sprinting toward an elevator. Danyel and DeVall sprinted to catch up as Danyel hurled a small size tornado down the corridor.

The tornado was as wide as the hallway, and almost as tall. It chased down the enemies and knocked them around like bowling pins. One of the soldiers had made it to the elevator and clung on as the tornado hit the elevator. Another soldier was hanging on the side trying to get in while saying," Save me! Don't let them get me!"

The soldier inside frowned as the heroes got closer. He held on to the railing as the winds threatened to throw him around and said," Take one for the team you pansy!"

With that he yanked his knife out of his side and savagely sliced the other soldier's fingers off, letting him get carried away by the tornado.

Danyel hurled a wad of magical soot to gag the one in the elevator, while DeVall shot a blast of psionic energy. But the door was already closing, and though the hits made contact, he was already going up.

He went to the man who's fingers were sliced off and said," Who was that and where is he going?"

"T-top f-floor," the man whimpered while nursing his fingers. "B-B-Base commander… Escape hatches… Oh help me!"

Danyel looked at the man with disgust. He said," You and your friends are responsible for kidnapping my sister. I ought to kill you where you are, but for your information you will live."

He threw the man down and signaled for the elevator.

Once he and DeVall reached the top, they found themselves in another corridor. They followed it for about a mile and a half, until they came to a ladder at the end of the tunnel. After they climbed it, they found the top was a loose piece of concrete on the pavement somewhere in the city.

DeVall said," Over there, I sense him."

Off to the side they saw a very large port that led out to sea. The roadway was elevated to avoid high tides or tidal waves that might occur during bad weather. Danyel guessed this area was the one called Independence Port.

"There he is!" said DeVall.

Danyel activated a wind spell to allow him to ride the wind at an amazing speed. He ran and shoulder tackled the man over so hard it hurt him as well.

He kicked off the floor using the wind to flip him back up to standing, while the man was still stunned from the sudden hit.

Danyel's eyes began to glow as a small cloud appeared above his head. While the soldier was getting up, the cloud unleashed a bolt of lightning on him to send him flying back. He approached the man slowly while the sky seemed to become dense with rain clouds.

Thunder rumbled in the distance as Danyel picked the man up by his collar and said," Where are they?"

"Where is who," he spat.

"The prisoners you fool! Where are they?"

"You can't make me talk!"

DeVall caught up and said," Then we'll rip the information from your head."

He grabbed the soldier's head, which made him gasp in shock. DeVall held on while the soldier stared wide eyed and open mouthed at the ocean. In a few seconds, DeVall let go and the man slumped to the floor.

"They're going some place called Striga Isle," said DeVall. "But I also saw that the place is a fortress. It would take an army to break this fortress."

"A pity, you'll never reach it!" said the soldier.

He concentrated for a moment, and black mist surrounded him. The mist began to take form as a very big creature. It was dark, and composed of energy like the Kheldians. Danyel could only guess that this was a Nictus, the Kheldian's opposite.

But the form it took was not the squid shape. It was far too large, with an almost shell-like coating and very big and muscular arms.

"Die human!" it said as it backhanded Danyel, sending him flying back.

DeVall reacted with a psychic thrust to throw him off balance. This did not work in the slightest and he received a jab of negative energy that sent him flying back.

The monster shambled toward Danyel as he shook off the stars he was seeing. It picked him up by the throat. Out of reaction, Danyel threw another ball of magical soot, and choked the beast.

They both stood locked. Danyel concentrating as much as he could while being choked, and the beast was trying to keep hold while also being suffocated. Everything began fading away as Danyel tried to keep hold, but could not.

The beast let go suddenly and grabbed at his head. DeVall concentrated and mind dominated the beast. He put all of his power into his levitation power, and shoved the beast back closer to the edge that led to the sea.

Danyel took a moment to catch his breath, and used his own wind power to help push the beast as far as possible.

They pushed him all the way off the ledge and into the water.

DeVall looked down at it wading on the water and said," Once my domination wears off he'll be back."

Danyel took a look as well, and saw a very large tentacle come out of the water and grab it.

"Or not…"

------------------------------------------------

Lusca was in a very bad mood. She was out for a nice swim in the area with all the strange floating things. She enjoyed watching the little floating things speed off in every direction. Sometimes she'd give a splash to make it go faster.

Today though, some very nasty little squids came to tease her and throw scorching ink at her. She chased these little punks to the surface to show them what for. Surprisingly they could fly in the air as well as they could in the water.

If that wasn't enough, she accidentally knocked over a few things on the surface and made a big mess.

And Lusca didn't like big messes.

The other surface critters become very angry with her, and also started hitting her. She tried to say sorry, but the land critters don't speak anything but gibberish.

She eventually grew tired of swatting them away, and decided to leave.

On her way, she saw another one of those dark critters floating on the surface. So she grabbed it and scolded it. Whatever it was though didn't seem to listen, and Lusca didn't appreciate that. So she did what any other giant octopus would have done with a very naughty lobster-looking critter who gave her heaps of trouble.

She ate it.

------------------------------------------------

Cherry and the others had arrived at the interior of a very large and closed in receiving area. All around she saw large pallets and boxes. To another side there were robots the soldiers called the mech-men, lined up by the hundreds. Above them hovered more robots, armed with missile launchers in the front.

There was an army here, and they were in the middle of the base of operations.

Cherry felt very worried, and almost naked without her powers. There was a very specific reason they were being taken, and she knew they were about to find out.

"Prisoners halt!" said one of the guards.

Archon Steinberg came to the front. He looked around and held his arms out as he said," Velcome to Striga Isle! You haf all been chosen to take part in a truly unique experience. You vill help be a part of something zat vill bring us anozer step closer to our ultimate goal. Vorld Unity. Peace. Prosperity. All under ze great name of ze Council!"

Some of the guards saluted and some clapped.

"Bullshit," said Cherry while she shook her head.

Steinberg signaled for silence, and looked around. He said," Someone disagrees? Who vas that?"

He walked down the row, looking at each person, who didn't look at him back. Once or twice he grabbed someone's chin and looked into their eyes, but hastily let go and pushed them away.

He stopped again right next to Cherry. She did her best to look down, and avoid his gaze, but he gently put his hand on her chin and perked her head up to see him.

He stared intently at her for a moment, his face was unreadable. Under any other circumstances, Cherry might have found the man attractive. He had a very handsome face, with sky blue eyes, and blonde hair under his uniform hat.

But when Cherry looked at him, she felt ill. She wanted nothing to do with him, let alone look at him.

She looked at him with her game face. One she usually reserved before a fight. She wanted him to know that she was not someone to be taken lightly, and someone who would fight him with everything she had.

Or at this point, with what little she had.

"You," he said. "You doubt us. Vhy?"

"I don't buy into your bull. You and your brainwashed friends have it all wrong. You're all willing to kill innocents, just to spread your ridiculous dogma. Forcing your beliefs on everyone and killing those who don't comply, makes you disgusting totalitarians."

He stared at her for a moment as she readied herself for pain that she knew was about to come.

Instead he said," I see. And Vhat is your name?"

"Cherry."

He immediately backhanded her across the cheek.

"I said, Vhat is your name?" he said with a calm and cool demeanor.

"004821," she said while rubbing her cheek.

"Good. Now 004821, you do realize how much pain ve could bring you, yes?"

"I know all too well."

"Oh is zat so?"

Pain came through the collar. It shot up and down throughout her body as she writhed on the ground clutching the collar.

The pain brought with it the horrible memories of her past. Memories of that madness that could never be healed, no matter what.

She didn't want it anymore. The pain was so intense she wanted it to be over with. She wished she could die and feel no more. But she knew that they would see to it that she would live a long time.

Throughout the entire ordeal, she tried desperately to cling to something that would help, something in her mind to help her cope. Something that would not let her slip back into the madness from torture long ago.

She saw it; then reached out and grabbed it.

Then suddenly it was over. She was on the ground gasping for air as the Archon stood over her with a frown.

"If you knew," said Steinberg. "Zen you vould know zat I haf in my head a chip zat allows me to take direct control of ze collars. You are my property! And I vill not haf you disgrace ze good name of ze Council."

He grabbed her by the front of her shirt and picked her up. He held her at arms length and said," You, I vill keep an eye on. You seem very spirited. Zat is something ve vill not tolerate. Your individuality, is your veakness. True strength is through Unity! Pease comes from compliance. And only zen can ve have true prosperity!"

"You're insane," spat Cherry.

For that, she received a punch to the gut, and was tossed to the floor.

"Get back in line 004821. I vill deal vith you later."

He walked back to the front as if nothing had happened. Ari, in a panic now, helped Cherry get up and whispered," Cherry! What are you doing?!"

"Introducing myself…" she managed to say through gasps. "So he knows… the name of his… future killer."

------------------------------------------------

Later that day, they were all taken to their prison cells. Cherry made sure to stick with Eden and Ari, and the three were sharing a cell.

It wasn't too long before they heard a voice they didn't recognize come from a speaker above them.

He said," _Prisoners. By now I'm sure you're wondering why you're here. Well that question shall be answered in a moment. Where you are is where you will stay. There will be no transferring, and no complaints. You will comply._

_You have all been chosen for a little experiment of ours. The details shall be revealed once you arrive at your specific labs. Men shall go to labs 1 through 3, while Women go to labs 4 through 6. Because we have more then we need, only one of you per cell will be used at a time. The rest of you don't think you've escaped us. Should your cellmate die during the operations, you will take over where they left off-_"

"Die?!" said Ari panicky.

"_Remember. The more you comply, the longer you will live. The experiment begins in 10 minutes, and today everyone shall be there for the selection. That is all._"

Cherry and Eden exchanged glances. Ari looked simply terrified.

"Cherry," said Eden. "Have you any ideas how we could get out of this?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," admitted Cherry.

"What do you think they're going to do to us?" said Ari.

The girl was already terrified, and Cherry didn't want to terrify her any more, but she also did not want to lie to her.

"They're going to hurt us," she said. "Both physically and mentally. They're going to try and break our spirits, and force us into a sense of compliancy."

Ari couldn't look any more worried then she did now.

"But promise me something Ari."

"W-what?"

"Promise me that no matter what happens, and no matter what you see. You won't loose who you are. Keep yourself locked away and don't let it out until we're free. I want you to stay who you are, because no one deserves this." Cherry looks away and says," I almost lost my sanity through torture… But I managed to stay who I was… because of him…"

"Who?" said Ari curiously.

Cherry smiles to herself and says," Someone really important to me. Just the thought of him. The thought of him coming to rescue me kept me going. It kept me sane. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him…"

Ari didn't pursue the question, but said," Ok. I'll try. I really will."

"Thank you," said Cherry. "And I promise I'll do what I can to keep you safe."

Several minutes later, the doors opened, and the familiar voice of Steinberg said," Everyone out! Line up outside your cells, and follow your assigned guard to ze appropriate lab."

Everyone did so without complaint or hesitation. Apparently Cherry had been made an example of for the rest of them.

The guard led them down the steel corridors where they saw many devices, wiring and machines wiring and humming. Cherry only vaguely wondered what any of these did, and by the looks of some of them, hoped she wouldn't be thrown inside.

The strangest corridor was the one filled with people in glass containers. Inside every container was a person fast asleep with a rebreather in his mouth. But the person was no longer human looking. Their skin was pale and dried, and some had long fangs protruding from their mouths.

They reminded her of Vampires.

The next thing she saw confirmed for her that those people were vampires, because she saw full figured Werewolves in the next hallway.

She hoped beyond hope that these people weren't going to transform them into these vile creatures.

They arrived at a very large lab area filled with the same mach-men robots that she had seen in the receiving area. Only this time, the mach-men were larger.

The women that followed with them were divided and taken to different areas of the large lab area. Cherry, Eden, and Ari were brought in front of several scientists in lab coats, and a few guards standing by.

Archon Steinberg and another Archon they had never seen before were talking to a few of the scientists and another uniformed soldier smoking a cigarette.

"-As I'm sure Crane," laughed Steinberg. "Ah, here zey are. Ready for your approval. You three, line up vhere ve can see all of you."

They stood next to each other as the man named Crane approached.

"Name?" he said to Eden.

With a sigh she said," 003811"

"Mmm mhm…" he said as he examined her.

Eden looked very uncomfortable with this man's eyes all over her, but Cherry knew better; Guys like this only would see her as a piece of flesh that could be bent to his will.

"And you?" he said to Cherry.

"004821," she said.

After examining her he said," Awful runty isn't she?"

"Do not underestimate zis one," said Steinberg. "She still has spunk and spirit. I assure you it vill be dealt vith."

"Make it so," said Crane as he approached Ari. "And what about you my dear?"

"007431," she said timidly.

"Humm…" he said while looking her over. "She'll do. You'll go first."

Cherry's insides felt like a she had swallowed a brick.

"M-me? What am I going to do?!" she said panicking.

"You come here," he said as he began to lead her to the scientists.

Cherry's breathing increased as she watched her get hauled in front of everyone.

"What you are going to do is get inside that machine, and control it with your power. Of course we are the ones who control your power, so you control it, and we control you. Got it?"

"I-I think so…"

"Good. Now we're going to plug you in to it. Remove your clothes."

"W-what?!"

"Your clothes. Take them off."

"But," she said as she looked around at everyone staring at her. "But… I can't!"

Archon Steinberg steps next to her and says," Do you need a reminder on vhat ve vill do to you?"

"No! Please don't make me do this! Please!"

Cherry had enough.

"She said No Damnit! Leave her alone you sons of bitches!"

Everyone stopped and looked at her as if they knew she was about to die. Ari looked the worst, and Cherry wished she wouldn't look at her that way.

"I think," said Crane as he took a deep inhale of his cigarette. "I see what you mean Steinberg."

He beckoned her to come to him.

"Come here 004821."

She sneered at him as she approached. He was a bit taken aback by her reaction.

"I am so sorry sir," said Steinberg. "I vill have to teach zis one some manners."

"No, no," said Crane as he looked at Cherry, as if he hadn't seen her properly the first time. "Instead we'll have her go first. Remove your clothes."

"I'm not going to do that," spat Cherry. "You'll have to do that yourselves, because I sure as hell won't."

"No doubt," said Crane. "That we could indeed rip your clothes off. But what purpose would that serve? You need to learn respect, and compliance. How can we do that if we're forcing you to do everything?"

"So what, you're going to use this stupid collar? Is that the best you have? Pain?" said Cherry as she folded her arms.

Archon Steinberg thought for a moment. He had dealt with types like Cherry before, and he knew their weaknesses.

"Pain," said Steinberg. "Ah yes, zere vill be plenty of zat."

_I'm sorry Ari_, thought Cherry. _I promised I would protect you the best I can, and this is how I can._

"Guards," said Steinberg. "Please call Xiao over here."

The guards saluted and marched off.

"Archon Xiao is our most established interrogator," said Steinberg. "Ze man has been known to keep his victims alive under torture for months."

Cherry showed no signs of fear, only defiance. She stood and stared darkly at the man Steinberg, telling him that no matter what he did to her, nothing was going to change her mind.

Steinberg stared back at her with a calculating look. By now, most of his victims had shown at least some sign of fear, but she stood defiantly at him.

Oddly enough, this intrigued him.

Shortly after, the guards brought in a sinister looking man, with dark energy emanating from his cloudy eyes. He looked right at Cherry, and smiled.

"So," he said. "You called, Stein?"

"I did indeed," said Steinberg as he broke his gaze with Cherry. "I vill need your expertise for zis one. She still has her spirit, and I need her compliant."

"Ah yes," said Xiao with a smile. "So what shall it be then? Standard, messy, or very messy?"

Steinberg suddenly grabbed Ari by the hair and pulled her to Xiao.

"It vill be for zis one."

"What?!" said Ari, Eden, and Cherry.

"I said zere vould be pain," said Steinberg. "I didn't say it vas for you."

"You… Monster!" said Cherry clenching her fists. "Let her go!"

"Do you know vhat ve vill do to zis girl?" said Steinberg, ignoring her. "Xiao?"

"Well," said Xiao with a wicked smile. "You see, some of my men can get a bit lonely with being stuck on a base here with no women. Some of them might enjoy what this girl has to offer.

"But the Council doesn't approve of you people with your powers. We want to get you out of our system, permanently. So we don't want any unnecessary pregnancies do we? This girl's trait shall be wiped from the gene pool."

Ari looked on the verge of passing out. Xiao grabbed both of her hands in one of his and lifted her up.

"What I'm going to do, is cut here," he said, pointing to her pelvis. "Cut a square shaped hole. Then, I'm going to feel around with some equipment, which is the most excruciatingly painful part. What I'm going to do then, is pull out her uterus, and cut it with a dull pair of scissors.

"If the girl is lucky, she will not hemorrhage from this and live through the ordeal. But not to worry, I'm an expert at this.… Heh, thinking about it though, what happens to her after will not be so lucky."

Cherry said nothing. She stood on the spot shaking with rage.

"But you," he continued as Ari passed out. "You shall watch. Every grueling detail. You will watch. We will make sure you cannot close your eyes, and this girl shall be alert and awake for it."

"Zen if zat is not enough on your conscience," said Steinberg. He pointed to Eden and said, "She vill be next. Ve vill continue going until you comply."

"Why are you doing this?" said Eden with a frown. "Have you completely lost your humanity?"

Eden fell over with a shock from her collar. Steinberg said," You see zat? You see vhat you haf done 004821? Your behavior encourages non-compliant behavior and I vas forced to punish her. From here and on, everyzing zat happens to zese two vomen shall be directly influenced by your actions. If you are non-compliant, zen ve vill have to punish zem, if you are cooperative, zen zey vill not be harmed."

Cherry was furious. She knew that Steinberg had hit her weak point hard. And he knew it too.

As calmly as she could, she said," Please don't. I'm begging you. Please let her go."

Steinberg smiled triumphantly at her and said," Xiao, go ahead and take zem to ze chamber."

"My pleasure."

"NO! WAIT!" said Cherry.

_No matter the cost…I'll protect you Ari._

And she began to lift her shirt off.

------------------------------------------------

Kayain perked his head up suddenly and looked around.

_Was that Cherry?_ He thought. _Must be hearing things. Man this waiting is driving me nuts! We found our lead and all we need is the firepower. Striga Isle Danyel said. That's where we need to be. Not sitting around here._

"What?!" said Danyel as he threw his arms up. "That's ridiculous! Odo can't do this!"

Danyel was on his communicator with Valentine, asking for some support.

"_I'm sorry Dan, I really am. We're at their mercy at the moment._"

"This is an outrage! This is Cherry we're talking about! Surely even the Patriarch doesn't want to see his granddaughter dead now does he?"

"_Dan,_" said Valentine with a sigh. "_You already know the answer to that._"

"Damnit all!"

"_It was hard enough letting them allow DeVall to go down there. They're being extremely ruthless on our conditions. What's more, some of these bastards are _delighted_ that Cherry has been kidnapped._"

Danyel shook his fists and said," Oh, if only I was up there…"

"_I'm just as worried as you are Dan. But if you say there's a bunch of super powered heroes there, I'm sure you can find yourself an army down there."_

"Regina and Tylar are working on contacts as we speak. But this is unsettling. Odo has blockaded you, and we have no reinforcements out here."

From what Kayain and the rest of them had heard, part of their bargain not to invade this world was that the Vigilante ship was not allowed to come to the planet as well. None of this was to be settled until the Vindicator weapon had been retrieved, and secured.

For Matronia, that meant out of Kayain's possession and into the Patriarch's Museum, where they would have an excuse to kill him if he tried to steal from the Patriarch.

With a heavy sigh, Danyel said," V, just… keep doing what you're doing. Don't give them an excuse to shoot you, or go back on their bargain. All the people on this world aren't worth that. We'll make due with what we have."

"_You sure?_"

"We've been through worse," said Danyel.

"_Yea, we have._ _Ok then, Bring our little sister back safe. Keep me informed_."

"We will. Danyel out."

Danyel paced back and forward, lost in thought.

Kayain looked to DeVall and asked," You've got a better idea of what we're up against. What did you see?"

"Striga Isle is actually a volcanic island," DeVall explained. "The crazy bastards have their base all along and inside the volcano itself! It's got standard shore defenses, missile silos, anti-air guns. Long range cannons and radars. Everything state-of-the-art in technology. Like I said; A Fortress."

"And then comes problem number two," added Danyel as he stopped pacing. "Actually finding where they are in a fortress that huge."

"There's gotta be _something_ we can do!"

"That's why we're planning now. To find out. The answer just isn't going to come knocking at the door."

There was a knock at the door.

"How did you do that?" said DeVall.

"I…don't…know…" said Danyel staring at the door.

Kayain looked at both of them for a moment and said in a mocking tone," Oh Kayain, can you get the door? We're too busy being retards!"

He got up, and looked through the small glass to see who it was.

"Huh… Odd."

"Well, who is it?" said Danyel.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Don't just stand there, open it man!" said Danyel impatiently.

Kayain opened the door to reveal two familiar figures, and one not so familiar.

The two were Sentry and Tempest.

"Uh… Yo," said Kayain a bit taken aback.

"Well you guys _did_ say to knock," said Tempest.

Looking past Kayain, Danyel said," Oh, it's you guys. Well, don't just stand there, come on in."

The three swept past Kayain, and he looked slightly down the hall to see a fourth figure leaning on the wall with his arms folded.

He said," So, you coming in or what?"

The forth figure, Bard, walked in past Kayain but said nothing.

There was a very tense and quiet moment between the two groups. Danyel broke the silence and said," I'd ask what this visit is about, but I'm guessing it has to do with the massive disappearance of the psions and mystics."

"You guessed right," said Sentry. "Our leader Eden is one of those victims. I was in contact with someone who said you had information on their whereabouts… and looking for reinforcements?"

"This is true," said Danyel. "We've located the victims on Striga Isle, guarded by it's defenses."

"Striga Isle…" said Sentry. "That place is like a fortress. Why there of all places?!"

"Kidnapped by the Council I'm afraid. We managed to tracked down the place where they were kidnapped to, and found that they had been taken to a ship to Striga. DeVall here got the information from their base commander."

DeVall nods to them.

"So this is why you needed a lot of people to help out?" asked Tempest.

"Yea, that's why."

Sentry and Tempest nodded at each other.

"Then we'll help out. You can count us in."

Tempest held his hand out, and Danyel shook it.

"We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Tempest, this is Sentry, this is Widow, and this is-"

"They know who I am," said Bard.

"Bard," said Tempest anyway. "And we're the Brotherhood of Justice."

Danyel nodded and said," Name's Danyel. Damn pleased to meet you. This guy is Kayain, and I pointed out DeVall. I'll introduce you to the rest of the team. We're the Vigilantes."

Danyel took them to Tylar's lab, where Tylar, Regina, and Biggs were.

Kayain whispered to Tempest," Why is that freaky looking chic looking at me like that?"

"Who? Widow?" he said as he turned to see Crystal. "Oh. Don't mind her. She doesn't get out much. I think she's just never seen anyone who looks like you do. No offense."

Kayain turned to look back at her, and she stared shamelessly.

"I'll get you a picture," said Kayain. "It'll last longer."

"Tylar, Gina, Biggs, we have company."

Tylar looked extremely frustrated and said," You won't believe this! Our posts keep getting deleted!"

"Yea, I noticed that too," said Sentry.

"It's dreadfully- OH, hello. You're the people from the other day aren't you?"

"Everyone, this is Tylar, our most skilled inventor slash techie," said Danyel.

Sentry did her worst to hide her smile and said," Doctor Thomas! I'm Sentry, very pleased to be working with you!"

Tempest rolled his eyes and said," Nice to meet you Tylar. I'm Tempest."

"A pleasure," said Tylar politely. "Oh, what a marvelous device you have, what's it for?"

"Oh these?" he said pointing to his wing shaped bracers. "I was born with the power to manipulate electricity. These help me focus it, otherwise I could end up frying myself."

"I see. And the purple outfit comes with it's own insulated and grounded focus, yes?"

"Err… Well no. I just made this myself."

"And this," interrupted Sentry. "Is Bard. You've seen him before."

"Yes, I have," said Tylar extending his hand.

Bard did not shake his hand or make any motion like he intended to.

"Bard?" they heard someone say. Regina poked her head out from a corner and said," Is that you Bardy? What are you doing back here?"

Bard looked down, in an attempt to cover his smirk as he said," Maybe I was just looking for you again."

"Looking for lit'l ol me eh?" she said as she fully emerged from the corner. "Not enough action in your life cutie?"

"You could say that," he said.

"Hey you, naughty boy," she said as she leaned purposefully on the wall. "I heard you came in through the bathroom while I was taking a shower. Did you peek on me?"

He leaned casually on the wall and crossed his arms. Failing at hiding the grin he said," Maybe. I guess you'll never know."

"Bard?" asked Sentry curiously. "You didn't really-"

"I'm not saying anything about that," he said while avoiding Sentry's gaze.

Kayain laughed softly while Tylar looked interested. Tylar said," Well, I'm glad to see we all _know_ each other in some way."

_Ah Regina,_ thought Kayain. _Girl's got a way with men. Taught her everything she knows._

"Ah, but I still don' know ya," said Biggs. "Welcome heathens. Consider yer outlooks on life eh?"

He shook their hands and said pleasantly, "Here, have a pamphlet, burn in hell."

"What?" said Bard.

The pamphlets read, _The Daily Heathens: So you're going to hell, but what can you do about it? Probably nothing, losers._

"And what the hell does this mean?" demanded Bard.

"Consider yer life my son, and tern to the true power," he explained.

Kayain again laughed softly as Bard threw it away and said," Hell no! Don't bring your religious bull to me like that!"

"Ah," said Biggs with a big grin. "Hell has a special place fer you. It's where ya get-"

"Ok Biggs, that's enough," said Kayain. "What have you accomplished today?"

"Ah, Tylar will explain, it were a combined effort."

"Yes," said Tylar. "I think you all should hear this. Well we found out the information from Danyel like he had told us. And we posted the information and told the authorities… They told us something along the lines of,' We already knew that, thanks.' Except it was much ruder."

"Already knew that?" asked Danyel. "But how?"

"The Ages sect," said Tylar bitterly. "They found out and sent in the information before us."

Danyel looked surprised. He knew that they were searching as well, because of Eva's presence in the astral realm. But he and the Kheldians had been the only ones to discover this. The only way that Eva could have found this out was if-

"Eva followed us," he thought out loud. "She must have talked to Moonfire or someone when we chased the commander down. Damn that woman!"

"Yes, so now they have the media on their side, and the help of many of the heroes who were related to the victims. They're organizing an army, and by the looks of it, it's very big. This was why our posts were getting deleted, because it was already there."

"Damn them," said Danyel. "They didn't do any work, _we did_!"

"Unfortunately, they have the community support as well. In a few days they're going to launch an assault on Striga Isle with the help of many of these heroes."

"Sorry for interrupting," said Sentry. "But who is this Ages sect., and why do you guys hate them?"

The Vigilantes all exchanged bitter glances at each other.

"Let's just say they've been a force that is bent on ruining us, that does a damn good job at it," said Kayain. "There is no love between us, because these people are the worst kind."

"This is them," said Tylar as he pointed to a monitor.

The Brotherhood stared at the pictures momentarily and immediately recognized them.

"Hey," said Bard. "That's those guys we met downstairs. Those assholes who didn't know when to keep their ugly mouths shut."

"You've _met_ these creeps?" said Kayain.

"Yea," said Bard. "We met em. Vile and awful people they are. _Especially_ that one," he said as he pointed to Quest.

Kayain also made a similar face when looking at Quest.

"It's bad enough I gotta stare at his face on billboards in my world. It's even worse knowing that he has it there because he won those fighter tournaments."

"It's more because he's beaten _you_," added Danyel.

Kayain frowned and gave the wall a hard punch, denting it.

"He's damn good, I'll give him that. If only my Vindicator weapon was allowed in those matches, I'd show him… Bastard used his influence to make it an illegal weapon."

"So," said Bard curiously. "That guy's beaten you?"

"Only in arena matches!" corrected Kayain. "Given a good reason I'd pound the living hell out of him in real life too. But if I did that, it would be bad for me. Because the people love him, but they don't know how he is in real life… Don't know what a fag he is. People just like him because he's a stupid pretty boy… Man he pisses me off…"

Kayain went off to go brood about it, while Bard said," So this guy is good then?"

Danyel nodded and said," Kayain and him can't stand each other in the slightest."

"I can understand why," said Bard.

"So what's the next step from here then?" asked Tempest.

"We're still getting our allies, and I think we'll have a raid of our own," said Danyel.

------------------------------------------------

"And while it's true, we do not want an incident on this world," said Admiral Odo to Quest on a video monitor. "Matronia will not sit by idly while the Rikti invaders open their portals. Should it come down to it Quest, you are our last hope there in retrieving the weapon."

"Sir," said Quest with a salute. "I've gathered a sizable army of super powered beings from this world. I see two opportunities in this. Not only will we get Phoebe back, but we can gain the trust of these heroes here. I'm sure we can all benefit from knowing such people. Building connections and such."

"Indeed," said Odo. "And Quest?"

"Sir?"

"I don't need to remind you of how disappointed the Patriarch will be if you do not recover the weapon."

"I will not fail his majesty, you can count on that."

"Let's hope not, for both our sakes. Odo out."

Quest turned to the rest of the team and said," How much time till our ship comes in?"

"Still got a lot of negotiations," said Adagio. "Perhaps a week at the most."

"A week!" he said. "How longs the paperwork here in this city?"

"Hell of a lot faster than in Amram," said Eva. "But that's not a fair comparison. Amram is a hundred times larger then this city."

"I suppose," said Quest. "Phoebe will just have to take care of herself for now. Can't say I'm not worried, but a week is a long time in captivity."

"Phoebe is strong," said Remington. "And she knows we're going to get her. She'll hold out."

"Yea you're right, Phoebe isn't going to get hurt… Until then, everyone keep vigilant."

They nodded and dispersed.

"Oh, Eva?"

"Yea?"

"About that outfit you're wearing…"

"You like it? I have to admit, the costumes they offer here are stylish."

"Well," said Quest as he made an annoyed face. "I kind of thought of that outfit as… Underwear, more then a costume. It's not professional to wear that around the city. Let alone around the base."

"So you _don't_ like it?"

"No, no, it's not that. Well I'd have to say, really leaves nothing much to the imagination. Heh. All I'm asking is for you to put on your outfit when we have meetings ok?"

"All right," she said with a sly wink.

Eva had been trying to catch Quest's eye since she started. In her opinion, Quest was the only man worthy of her attention, since she considered their beauty on the same level.

Quest couldn't care less. Eva was just not his type at all.

"Just get dressed and come with me," said Quest.

"Oh, where to?"

"We're going to talk to those contractors face to face about our ship," he said and suddenly stopped as he had a thought. "You know… If we're going to negotiate with filthy sailor-folk, you should probably stay dressed like that."

------------------------------------------------

The days that went by were grueling. Cherry counted about two weeks, and she was day in and day out with the lab experiments.

The experiments were painful, humiliating, and long. Every morning she would be pulled out from her cell and made to undress in front of guards and scientists. Then they would put receptors all over her, and put her in a mech-machine, where they plugged in all the receptors. This was the painful part, because it used her mental ability to power it on.

This would continue long until the evening, and it tested her both physically and mentally.

In essence they made her a living battery. She was allowed control over the robot's limbs at times, but the collar restricted her soon after.

What made her feel even more violated was that the scientists had control over her powers, and they were able to directly communicate into her mind. She felt as if they could see her thoughts as well, and there was many things she didn't want them to see.

When their session was over, the chamber opened, and she leaned on the side, completely exhausted.

"You're doing well 004821," said the lead researcher. "You show a lot of promise. Two of the other test subjects have already died of exhaustion, but you show much resilience."

Cherry didn't answer.

"Very, very good. Guards, please help me get her down."

The two guards approached with smiles. Cherry knew that the guards were all designated to the area, but they rotated on their own. She didn't need her powers to know that they were just trying to get a look at the women.

The two pulled off the receptors from her, and got in a grope every once and a while. Cherry's blood began to boil as she wished nothing but death on every one of them.

None of them treated her like a person. Cherry was just another lab rat to them. Even the guards did their best to torment these women in captivity.

Cherry fell hard to the floor when they got the wires off. She looked to the side where another woman was just barely getting out. The guards were laughing, and touching her all over as she cried and pleaded for them to stop.

She felt sickened when the two guards next to her began chuckling in amusement at this. She knew the behavior of these people made them nothing but animals.

Which, some of them were most literally. But in any case, she had enough of this.

"Leave her alone!" she yelled out to the men tormenting the woman.

The two guards nearby looked at her curiously. The other two stopped and looked to where the voice came from.

They seemed a bit surprised to see such big talk from such a little woman. None of the other subjects had ever dared to speak up.

The two let the woman fall over, and came over to Cherry.

"What the hell is this?" said one.

"I don't know, but she's got some guts, this one," said the other.

The first one picked her up by the neck and said," Or a Death wish."

"Gentlemen!" said the lead researcher. "Please don't destroy my specimen, we've worked hard on this one, and she's shown us the most promising-"

"I don't care," said the third guard. "She ought to know when to keep her trap shut by now."

The first one pulled his knife out and put it at Cherry's mouth and said," Or maybe I'll just have to cut her tongue out to keep her quiet."

"Na, then she wouldn't have much left to pleasure us with," laughed the fourth guard. "What do you say boys? You want this one? I know I do."

"I don't usually do skinny chics, but I'm willing to make an exception," said the second.

"I suppose she'd be good for a quick one," said the third.

"Do what you want," said the first. "I just wanna cut this pretty little face of hers."

"I," Cherry managed to say. "I'm-going-to-kill-you… All..."

It wasn't what she said that bothered them, but the way she did. As if it were true, and about to happen.

They recomposed themselves and laughed.

"Ha!" said the first. "Ok boys, tonight she goes with us for a little fun eh?"

"Don't kill her!" said the lead researcher. "We need her for the projects."

"Hey doc, don't worry about that," said the second. "You'll get your little project back alive. But you might want to give her some more time, cause she's not sleeping tonight."

The guards laughed raucously as the first one threw her over his shoulder.

"You," said the first one to the second. "Get the other girl. _That's_ the one I wanted. She's got more in the chest then this one does."

When the second one grabbed the sobbing woman, they set off down the hallway.

Cherry calmly waited and thought what she could do.

They took their time down the hallway. The men showed them off as if they were some kind of prize. Once or twice, they would stop because the other woman would struggle, and only make them torment her more.

Cherry looked down right at the man's knife that he had used to threaten her with. Taking a glance around, she remembered the three men were ahead of her, and they had passed a small patrol of guards already.

Eyeing the knife, she realized that this was her one and only opportunity. Using all the strength she could muster, she pushed back under his grip. And in one fluid motion, freed the knife and jammed it fiercely in his kidney.

The man choked and couldn't draw breath to cry out. The pain had been so sudden and horrific, he could not make a move. Cherry knew this wound would kill him and left the knife where it was.

The man dropped to his knees with his hands weakly trying to reach behind him. Cherry took the opportunity to grab the man's sidearm as she was dropped to the floor. Without hesitation, she took aim and fired three rounds, one into a guard's head, one in the lower spine, and one through the other's ribs.

The three dropped before they could react. The guard shot in the head died instantly, the one who was shot in the lower spine couldn't move, but was alive, and the third was hit in the lungs, and began to wretch.

The first man fell over dead with the knife still lodged in his kidney. Cherry yanked it out, and began to advance on the three. The woman had been dropped, and in panic began to run off.

This was only because she saw the look on Cherry's face. The look of someone who intended to kill. Her game face.

She approached the paralyzed man, whose eyes darted all around. His eyes widened as he focused on her, knife in hand.

"You," she said. "I said I would kill you all. And I mean it. I've seen you before, and you're the one who takes a woman to your bed every night…"

She regarded the knife and then looked at him again.

"I will make you pay," she said with cold resolve. "For every woman you've raped, you will pay. Picking me was the last mistake you'll ever make."

------------------------------------------------

Ernesto Hess was a high ranking Adjutant of the Council, and one step below Archon. He is highly respected and sought-after in the ranks. This suited him well, because in truth, he was a spy for the hero side.

It was him that helped bring down many of the Council's nefarious plots to conquer the world with some death ray, or nuclear war-head.

Or even his more accomplished task of leading a group of heroes to take down Archon Burkholder, the creator of the world's first Giant Robot, capable of leveling cities with the power it held.

The hardest part was keeping his own name off the list of suspicion, and keeping his network of friends at the same time.

But being popular had its advantages. Some lower ranking officers who suspected him of treason always ended up getting orders to street patrol in Paragon City. A most dangerous job, usually reserved for lower level minions. No one liked to argue with Hess for this reason.

He was recommended by Archon Tenure to help Archon Crane in his 'Project neigh-unstoppable', which was already underway. The details were that Crane had kidnapped hundreds of mystics and psions to power his versions of their Zenith Mach-Men. Using stolen technology from Arachnos, they would insert a person with Magic or Psionics into the machine and create a cast-iron body for them to amplify their abilities through the technology. This would create, in Crane's opinion, the perfect mach-men. Armed with not computer AI, but human thought. Equipped with the amplified powers of the person inside, and the robot's natural energy weapons and rocket launchers.

The cost was the person's life though. The person would consume their own life force into the machine, and become one with it. Arachnos was the only one who had successfully done this with their Tarantula Mistress units. When Crane had seen them, he was in awe.

Crane had made the labs, and brought the test subjects. From what Hess witnessed, Crane had many problems to work out. Mostly the subjects not being able to completely integrate with the machine, but dieing out of lack of energy from the attempted transformation.

Day in and day out, they'd take the results and keep changing the system.

When Crane had shown him what they were doing, Hess felt sick. It was almost as bad as watching some poor victim be transformed into the War Wolf, or a Vampyri.

He was sickened by the victim's treatment. He heard stories of the women being abused, raped, and starved. He had also heard the men were being tortured for sport, and some of the failing subjects had been used as target practice for the new Council recruits.

It was madness in Crane's den. And what made Hess absolutely furious was that Crane was proud of it.

The Council in general would not care about Crane's methods. In fact they would encourage it. The Council thrives on a form of equality for all humans. The prisoners are everything they hate about humanity. Anyone with powers is obviously a threat, and a step in the wrong direction of human evolution.

The Council believed that no one should have that kind of power. It only brings trouble. They made it their ultimate goal to wipe out everyone with unnatural powers.

Science and Technology were the forefront of mankind. They used 'natural' methods to make the ultimate beings; the super soldiers. In their efforts they created the War Wolfs, the Vampyri, and the Galaxy soldiers. Each one a product of science, which they felt was the right step in human evolution.

Hess knew they had many agendas, but this is what they used to justify such horrible treatment of these people.

As he walked down the corridor, he realized that the area was way to quiet. There should at least be someone walking by, or some noise besides the quiet hum of a machine. Coming to the end of the hallway, he heard some noises just around the corner.

He leaned against the wall and took a peek around the corner. What he saw astounded him.

Four soldiers laying dead on the ground, and three more on the other side of the hallway. Sitting up against the wall was a small woman, not wearing anything, but holding a knife and a gun, laying in a pool of blood.

He had to look again to see if he wasn't imagining this. One small naked woman had taken out seven of these well-armed soldiers, with a lack of powers and no proper weapon.

"Hey!" he called out. "Please don't shoot. I won't harm you, I promise."

Taking another peek out, he saw the woman look around lazily, and struggle to hold the weapon up.

"Who are you? Come out where I can see you!" said the woman.

"Ok, but you have to promise not to shoot. I'm coming out with my hands up."

Hess came around the corner with his hands in the air as the woman immediately pointed the gun at him.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise," said Hess. "As a matter of fact I think I can help you."

"Oh yea?" she said. "Give me your weapons. Keep one hand up, and give me your belt and rifle."

Hess undid his belt, and tossed it to her. Then he pulled his gun strap off and threw it to her.

"You've got my weapons now. I'm unarmed. Please listen to what I have to say."

She regarded them momentarily and said," Speak, and make it fast."

"My name is Ernesto Hess, and I may be Council, but I don't really work for them. I work for a group that supports Freedom Corps."

"Do you? I don't believe it."

"Listen," he said more insistently. "Those patrol guards you killed have to call in every thirty minutes, and if they're not calling in, then someone will come to look for them. When they find you here, they'll kill you. Please, I don't want that to happen. I only want to help."

She seemed to consider him for a moment and said," And what would you do for me Mister Hess?"

He took a few steps forward and said in a lower voice," There's a group of heroes getting ready to assault Striga Isle. If you know _anyone_ I can get in contact with, I will give them the coordinates. To this exact location."

"What makes you think I will do that Mister Hess? You might just want to contact them to ambush them?"

"True," said Hess. "Here, take this. It's a secure line, so you can make a radio call out."

Hess tossed her his communicator. She stared at it for a moment, and looked back.

"Why are you-"

"Look, please hurry. The guards could be here any minute now. Contact who you need and I'll make sure they can find you."

She stared only momentarily, then nodded. She messed with the tuning dial for a moment and said," This is Cherry, does anyone copy?"

There was silence for a moment, and she repeated.

"_C-Cherry_?!" said a voice on the other line. "_Oh my God! It's her! Guys! It's Cherry!_"

"Yes, Kayain, it's me."

"_Cherry! Where are you!?"_ said another voice.

"_Cap'n! Hey, we've been wonderin where ya went,_" said another.

"_What happened to you Cherry?_"

"Guys, guys, listen. I'm ok for the moment… God, it's good to hear you guys again. I've been through hell so far, and it's only getting worse-"

"_What the hell are those bastards doing to you?!_" said the one named Kayain. "_Oh, if they've harmed you in any way… So help me I'll tear each and every one of their ga-damn throats out!_"

"Kayain, please… I don't have much time, so this is important. I have someone here who can lead you guys to me. I don't know if we can trust him or not, but we have no other choice at the moment. Please, be very careful."

"_Wait, Cherry! Don't go!_"

"Kayain… I'll be ok. Here he is, Mister Ernesto Hess."

She tossed him back the speaker, and Hess said," The secret entrance to this facility is at the east side of the volcano, door 883422B, password 991201. You need to hurry, because I don't know how long your friend will survive here."

"_Got it," _said another voice. "_All right Mister Hess, thank you. You've been a great help_"

"And be sure to come at around 0100 to 0700 hours. Security's the lowest on this side at those hours."

"_We will,_" said the voice. "_Danyel out_."

"Hess," said the woman calmly.

"Yes?"

"If you betray us… I will make sure personally you look like this," she said pointing to one brutally mutilated soldier on the floor.

Hess took a double-take as he finally got a good look at the body. There were stab wounds all over his body, and his genitalia was severed and stuffed in his mouth.

"This man was a rapist, and a murderer, and he genuinely enjoyed what he did… So did I... And if you betray us, I'll make sure all the bones in your body are crushed. Powers or not."

Ernesto nodded. He said," I don't doubt you. And after everything you've seen here today, I can't say I'd blame you. But believe me when I say I've seen enough of this back in the past. I wanted out… but the only way you get out of the Council is death. So I've turned my resources to a different cause, and want to help rid the world of the Council. Anything these guys here have done is nothing compared to what I've seen."

"I know the feeling… I really do," she said sadly.

"But the important thing-" he began, but stopped to listen. "They're coming! Don't kill them! They'll begin to swarm the place if you do!"

"Then what do I do?"

"I will take you in. You can be my personal captive."

"I won't-"

"Please!" he begged. "Or you WILL die!"

She thought only for a moment, and said," Fine, do it!"

"Hand me the gun, and drop the knife, quickly!"

She hesitated before she tossed the weapons. When she did, four guards came running around the corner with their guns pointing directly at her.

"Adjutant!" one yelled. "What's going on here?!"

"It was this one here," he said with the gun pointed at her. "She did this."

The guards looked at her in shock.

"This girl did all this?"

"I'm afraid so," said Hess. "She's gone and worn herself out though. Lucky I came by to find her."

"Sir, shall I get Archon Steinberg?"

"That won't be necessary Cor Leonis," said Hess. "I will deal with this personally."

"Oh-ho," said another voice from behind Hess. Archon Steinberg calmly walked in and regarded the scene, holding the same woman who had run off by the hair.

"But zat is vhere you are wrong Adjutant Hess," said Steinberg. "Lucky for me zis girl here vas very villing to tell me vhat happened here."

He lifted the girl up and looked right into her face as he said," For zat, you haf my thanks. Extra rations for you."

Cherry looked furiously at the woman. After she had saved her from this horrible fate, she still ratted on her to save her own skin.

"Ze girl belongs to me," he continued. "Your authority only goes so far around here, and zis girl is my property."

Hess looked a bit worried. He said," But sir! She killed my men! I must be the one who-"

"Vhat vas that Hess? Your men? I zink not. Vhen you come into my base, and under my rules, you and your sqvad belong to me. So under ze present circumstances, zose men are mine. And _I_ shall deal vith her personally."

Cherry looked at Hess, and saw he was genuinely worried. Whatever Steinberg has in store for her was going to be the worst of it, and she knew that.

Hess felt defeated. This man was higher rank and higher stature then him. He could give no argument to change his mind without looking suspicious; Steinberg had no problem killing his own if they disagreed with him.

"Yes… sir," said Hess with his head down.

"Very good," said Steinberg. "You four, clean up ziz-" he looked around and made a face. "-mess. 004821, vhere are your clothes?"

"Still in the lab. Your filthy men decided I didn't need them when they tried to rape me."

"Humm…" he said as he gave an appraising look. "Vhat you need to learn is zat you are nothing to us. Your life is meaningless, and ze only vay you can make yourself useful to ze Council is by giving yourself completely, and villlingly. If our officers vant to break your head in, zey haf every right to break your skull open for zere ammuzement. If zey vish to take you to zeir bed for ze night, zen you vill whore for zem. It is your duty to the Council-"

"The Council can shove it!" said Cherry ferociously. "And so can you asshole!"

She braced for the pain that she knew was coming. But it didn't. Instead he gave her that same look he had before. The look as if he was trying to figure something out that he just couldn't.

"Vhy…" he said. "Vhy do you still fight? Vhat's the point? No one knows you are here, and even if zey did, zey'd still get destroyed by our men, and it vould take zem days to access zese areas… Zere is no point to struggle. You vill only receive more pain."

"Why?" said Cherry with a slight smile. "You really want to know? Because unlike you and the Council, I still have a heart. I still know what it means to love, and be loved. I haven't given up on my emotions to become a cold, callous shell of a person like you. To me, the prospect of life is still worth fighting for. Anything that is good, is worth fighting for."

Steinberg seemed to consider this for a moment. He said," You know… I hear ze same things from all zose ozer heroes. A sense of truth, justice, and liberty… It sounds like some stupid, mindless, mantra. Like it is some kind of rediclous code for being a hero… But vhen I look at you and hear even a smart girl say zat… I vonder…"

He looks at her again, and this time his gaze makes Cherry feel truly naked. It was as if he were trying to see into her soul.

"Your spirit is still admirable. But alas, it vill be broken. Such a pity though…"

He turned to Hess and said," Get her garments Adjutant. Tonight, she vill go back to her cell… Until I decide ze proper punishment for her."

"And you," he said taking one final appraising look at her. "Come along. Your cellmates vill vonder vhere you are."

------------------------------------------------

Kayain was a nervous wreck. He snapped at people for no reason at times, which he apologized for later. Even Proto-Man was worried for him.

"Hey man, come on now," said Proto. "We're all going to help you get your honey back, so just stay cool."

"I am," said Kayain staring out into nothing. "I just wish both Danyels would hurry the hell up."

Lord Daniel and Danyel had a long discussion on how they were going to approach the base. Danyel had set a plan into motion already since Cherry had contacted them. So far, they had 'leaked' the information to the Ages sect, but with one minor detail excluded.

They said the base was at the front, not the back.

"So," said Danyel. "We have us coming in this way, while the Ages sect comes in the front. We know what the Ages sect is capable of, and the Council will need a heavy resistance here, leaving the rear unprotected."

Danyel was glad Kayain was in a serious mood, otherwise he would have commented on that last part.

"That's where we come in. With Tylar's long range radar jammers, we can go in without being detected on Radar. And while they are distracted frontside, we will have little chance of being spotted physically."

"Sounds good," said Lord Daniel. "And we'll take two of my boats. They're built for speed, and that's what we'll need out there. So how many people are we bringing?"

He picked up a list and said, "Our list of friends gets bigger and bigger. We have, the whole crew of the Vigilantes, Lady Darkness, Tempest, Bard, Widow, Sentry, Proto-man, Lady Anubis, Gungir, Talley, Mystic Wizard, and I even talked to Ms. World."

"Really? _The_ Ms. World?"

"Yup. I own stock in Super Hero Inc… and so does Cherry."

"Man," said Lord Daniel as he looked off in thought. "I've never met her before. I've always been an admirer of hers."

"Heh, you think she's hot right?"

"Of course! But eh, that's not why I admire her. No, the woman's got talent, and brains to go with it. That's the reason… Honest."

"Sure, sure," he said with a smile. "You get to meet her, so don't be shy."

"Why would I be shy?"

Taking a glance over to Regina, Danyel said," No reason…. Hey Tylar, what's the update?"

"Ages sect took the bait," he said happily. "They're going as soon as they get their entire team ready. And by the looks of it, it's a rather large team… About a hundred or so very upset heroes."

"Excellent," said Danyel. "That'll get the Council's attention. Score one for the Vigilantes. Now when are they leaving?"

"First thing in the morning," said Tylar. "Some time at about, 0500. We'd better be prepared by then."

"Everyone hear that?" asked Danyel. "Good. Get your gear, and anything else you think you need. I will contact all of our other friends and they will meet us here tonight. Dismissed."

As everyone went their separate ways, Kayain stayed to say," Dan, aren't you a bit worried? I mean even a little bit?"

Danyel stopped and sighed. Turning to Kayain he said," I'm terrified. My baby sister is out there in the hands of madmen, and I'm sitting here waiting. Who knows what they could have done to her by now. It makes me feel sick."

"I know exactly how you feel man," said Kayain. "Hell, I was in your shoes not but a month ago, when they took Diana. And you were right before, it's better if I calmed down a bit. Getting all worked up isn't going to get Cherry out any faster."

"Glad to hear it," said Danyel.

"Yea dude, as a matter of fact I'm going to take a new outlook on this. I'm going to talk to Lord Daniel and get a few things done tonight."

"Oh?" asked Danyel. "And what will you be doing?"

"You'll see, man. You'll see…"

------------------------------------------------

That night, Cherry explained to Ari what had happened, and why she was very late. Eden sat quietly listening, taking in what would happen to her if Cherry had died.

"He's going to hurt you badly Cherry," said Ari. "I just know it. After what you did, I'm surprised you're even alive."

"I have Hess to thank for that," said Cherry. "He also let the team know exactly where we are, and how to get in."

"And you don't believe this a trap?" said Eden. "He may just want to lead them in to kill them."

"I've thought of that already. Knowing my boys though, they wouldn't rush in here without backup and a plan. They go into every situation as if it were a trap. I'd have to say, they're pretty good at what they do… Besides, they probably let other people know where we are. The information will spread, and then either they will have to evacuate us, or face all the heroes."

"I suppose this is true," said Eden. "I just wish I could have told The Brotherhood as well."

"If I know my team, then they might already know about it," said Cherry reassuringly. "For now let's get some rest."

Eden, and Ari fell asleep within the hour, but Cherry had trouble sleeping that night.

Taking a glance over to the other two, she sighed.

_Well_, she thought. _I don't think I'm the only one going to meet their fate tomorrow. Steinberg promised if I did something wrong, these two would suffer. Forgive me…_

------------------------------------------------

Quest and about two hundred heroes gathered by the coast of Talos Island. Looking to Adagio he said," You think we have enough here?"

"Are you kidding?" said Adagio. "With this many super powered people, we could take over the world!"

"Just don't say that in front of them. They're not too keen on that subject… Oh, and try not to upset anyone. We're going for a good reputation."

Shrugging Adagio said," And just how would I upset anyone?"

"Just be _less_ like yourself today."

"Humph," he said as he brushed his hair from his eyes. "Don't know _what_ you mean by that."

Ignoring him, Quest called out to the heroes," All right everyone. This is it. We have all the information we need to get our loved ones out of Striga Isle. From what we know, the entrance is on the west side of the island, which is also the most heavily guarded side."

He looked around to make sure he had everyone's attention. He said," I need three volunteer leaders. The three will lead their own groups on the north and south side. They'll be focusing their attack where we are, and they'll have a lower defense on the sides. Everyone with Super Speed needs to get in fast and disable their radar, and communications stations. Once the radars and com centers are down, those with Invisibility can get in unnoticed and attack from the inside. Leaders shall dictate this, and move in accordingly."

As Quest began selecting the volunteers, Eva said to Adagio," The Vigilantes aren't here… I was so sure that Cherry had been kidnapped as well. Surely they've heard of this attack?"

"Who knows," said Adagio with a shrug. "And who cares? I'm not in the mood to see their ugly faces today."

"It's not like them," said Eva. "There's no bigger opportunity then this to rescue her. What if they've got something planned as well? Or even… What if they know something we don't?"

"I doubt they'd have the brains for it. I mean _we're_ the ones with all the information here. And if Cherry is in fact kidnapped as well… Imagine the look on her face as she sees her rescuers. She'll be completely at our mercy. She'll have to kiss our asses for us to let her out."

Eva smirked at this thought. She said," You know, that might be something worth seeing. Heh, heh… Cherry on her knees, kissing my ass… Hey bring a camera."

Adagio laughed hard as he thought about this. He said," Oh I have one. Those will be on our website immediately.

"If Miss Cherry is in trouble," said Remington from behind. "Then it is our duty to help her… no matter what."

Eva and Adagio frowned at him. It wasn't in Remington's nature to act like them, and to them, he was usually the killjoy.

"Bah, you're no fun man," said Adagio.

"Yea, lighten up, we were just kidding anyway," lied Eva.

Remington eyed them both suspiciously, and then walked away.

"I'm still bringing the camera," said Adagio.

"You'd better…" said Eva.

"Guys!" said Quest. "Get over here! We're leaving now!"

"I love it when he's so demanding," sighed Eva.

------------------------------------------------

In Independence Port, the Vigilantes led their own group. This was substantially smaller, but they could at least fit on two very fast speed boats.

"How's everyone doing over there," said Danyel in the radio.

"_We're sittin' pretty here,_" said Kayain on the other. "_Only I'm the prettiest._"

Danyel laughed and said," Yea, yea. So are you going to tell me or not why you decorated the boats this way?"

"_In a minute bro… We can go a bit faster if we had the sails as well… How are the winds today Dan?_"

Danyel smiled and said," The winds are however you wish them to be."

"_Fan-freaking-tastic… Raise the sails, and let us sail to wherever the winds may take us!_"

"Sure thing," said Danyel as his eyes began to glow.

He began an incantation for a very powerful wind spell. The clouds around them began to turn dark, and rumble with the promise of lighting.

The winds began to pick up dramatically. Danyel said," Raise the sails, and cut the engines."

Talley and Diana both raised the sails, and immediately the boats were carried away with the winds.

Danyel kept control of the spell, and kept a check on the other boat. When he looked over he did a double take to make sure he was seeing this right.

He knew the boats had been painted to look like it was made from wood, but now he saw why. Kayain had the boats painted to look like pirate ships, complete with skull and cross-bone patterns on the sails. Looking up he saw that his own boat had the same decorations.

They all heard Kayain on the other boat yelling," YARRR!!" And when they caught sight of him, he was balancing on a sail post, dressed like a pirate. He was shirtless, had a pirate hat, a hook hand, a peg leg, an eye patch, a very large cigar, and tatted pants.

"_Yo, ho, ho_," they heard Lord Daniel say on the radio. "_Kayain had me get a few things like this last minute. There's a few costumes in there if you want._"

"OOH!" said Diana excitedly. "I want one! I wanna be a pirate!"

"I think I shall dress as one too," began Tally as he began to follow Diana.

Danyel grabbed his shoulder and said," Ah-ha, not so fast pal. You just wait until _after_ she's done undressing."

"Well I tried," he said, satisfied.

Danyel shook his head and thought, _Just hold out a little longer sis. We're on our way._

------------------------------------------------

Cherry woke with a start early morning as they began to play the usual morning Mozart music on the speakers.

"Get up!" one of the guards yelled. "Feeding time! Get out and line up in two lines!"

The three got out and in line for the cafeteria. Once inside they stayed in line and were given something that Cherry just barely passed off as food. But they didn't get fed much and she really didn't care.

"Guys," Cherry whispered as they were seated. "I have a really bad feeling today."

"Why?" asked Eden.

"You remember what Steinberg said? If I do something you guys are going to suffer?"

Ari nearly dropped her spoon as she heard this. Eden said calmly," I'm willing to accept my fate should anything happen. You did what you needed to, and I don't blame you for it, because you saved someone else's life in the process."

"Yea," she said squeezing her spoon. "A filthy backstabber…"

"Regardless," said Eden. "You risked a lot yesterday. Whatever comes today will not be in vein."

"It's not gonna happen like that," said Cherry. "My team is coming, I know it."

Cherry received a strong blow to the back of the head from a guard.

"NO TALKING!" he yelled at her.

Rubbing her head she made a mental note to kill that guy as well.

The only sound they heard from then on was the clatter of trays and utensils. After they finished, they all lined up again.

"To the showers!" said the guard.

Even as comforting as a shower would sound, it was still made very unpleasant by the guards who liked to watch them, supposedly guarding.

During the shower, Cherry looked at one of the guards with wandering eyes, and noticed him settle his gaze on Eden.

"Eden, be careful…" she whispered. "That man is looking right at you. The guards here are like animals, they'll take what they want, when they want."

"I am aware of him," said Eden calmly. "He's had his eye on me since yesterday."

When they were done, they lined back up to go to the dressing room. After Cherry passed by the guard, he reached out and grabbed Eden's chest. Cherry sensed that no one was behind her, and turned to see.

Eden, her face with controlled fury, stood and stared at this vulgar man. She did not break her gaze as she said," You, I will remember. For when I am freed, your pain shall be unlike any other. You'll rue the day you were ever torn from your mother."

And with that, she continued, her face still full of anger.

Cherry said nothing to her as they got dressed. Even Ari had tried to make her presence less known by quickly getting dressed and sitting still.

A higher ranking guard came in and said," I need prisoners 004821, 007431, and 003811. You are to come with me immediately."

Eden and Cherry exchanged glances. They had been expecting this, and showed no signs of surprise. Ari had been hoping nothing would happen to any of them, and looked sad.

Without saying anything, the three followed the officer. He took them down unfamiliar corridors, which Cherry remembered mentally. Cherry intended to have an escape route just in case.

The officer stopped at a particular door and said, 007431, and 003811, you are to go inside and await orders. 004821, you are to come with me.

Cherry gave one final glance over to them, and they gave a reassuring nod in return. She smiled slightly, feeling slightly guilty that they were about to be punished.

She continued with the officer until she reached another door at the far end of the hallway.

"This is Archon Steinberg's office. He wishes to see you. You will follow the rules and remain polite, or you will receive pain."

Mentally rolling her eyes, she nodded and went inside. Steinberg's office consisted of some of the usual things you'd see in an office; Desk, computer, potted plant, and pictures.

The uncommon things you wouldn't see were what was on the pictures; brutal murders, human disfigurations, bodies stockpiled and burned.

"Vhat do you think?" said Steinberg as he turned around in his very large chair.

"What can I _think_? I think you're twisted is what."

The officer backhanded her for this comment and yelled," I TOLD YOU TO BE POLITE!"

"Thank you Cor Leonis," said Steinberg. "Is zere anything else you vish to report?"

The Cor Leonis saluted and said," Reporting an anomaly with the radars sir. They've been going crazy for the past few minutes, and we've sent a team out to investigate."

"Good," said Steinberg. "Please see to it zat it is up and running before Archon Crane goes on duty. Anything else?"

"There's been a spill in the munitions room sir."

"Vhat kind of spill?"

"Explosives, chemicals, and ammo were all spilled out. It's currently under investigation by Adjutant Hess sir."

"Hess? Humm… Very well, anything else?"

"Just the usual reports sir. I'll leave them here."

He ignored this comment and said," These are my victories. I haf brought much glory to ze Council. You see zis one? I vas there vhen zey vere vorking on ze Varvolfs, and Vampyri. Nostafaru vas qvite pleased vith my performance."

"Your mother must be proud as well," said Cherry nastily.

"You've still got zat spunk I alvays see," he said. "Oh, I am fond of zis picture. Vhen I vas promised a position of power in ze Council, I vas oh so glad to defect from ze Fifth Column. Ze Council offered many things zat the Fifth Column had never. After ze insurrection, zere vas many still loyal to ze Column… My men and I slaughtered zem all down to ze last man. It vas glorious."

"Is this some new form of torture you came up with? Boring me to death?" she said crossing her arms.

"No," he said, clearly loosing his patience. Whatever he had in store for her, she was going to make sure she wasn't going to go easily.

He regarded her again with that piercing stare he had used so many times on her. He said," Vhy are you not afraid of me?"

"Fear not one who can destroy your body," she said calmly. "But the one who can destroy your soul."

With a wicked smile he said," You are religious zen?"

"I am. But that's not the full reason. When I look at you, all I see is some dumb little kid who threatens to kill his classmates because he's so sad, and depressed, and no one likes him. Not only are you a psychopathic, selfish, sadist, but you're completely at peace with it. You honestly believe, the same way you believe that that water is wet, that what you do is practically virtuous. You have no regard for life in any way, shape, or form, and thrive on death. To me, you're a complete joke."

She leaned over the table and stared at him furiously as she said," The most useful thing you've ever contributed to society has come out of your ass, because she shit that comes out of your mouth stinks a hundred times worse!"

Steinberg stared vaguely at her. Cherry half expected him to explode at her, and she really wished he would, instead of this treatment. The anticipation was enough.

Instead he stood up and laughed hard.

"No von," he laughed. "Has ever talked to me like zat before. You really are interesting."

He stood up and paced as he said," Tell me, how did you kill my men?"

"With a knife and a gun."

"Isn't it against your religious law to kill ozer people?"

"People yes," said Cherry bitterly. "And I didn't kill people… I slaughtered _animals_."

A new look came from Steinberg. This was a look she recognized, and sent a wave of dread over her. This look said only one thing:

Desire.

"You know," he said as he did not look away from her. "I mean it vhen I say you are interesting… qvite beautiful in fact."

Definitely not what Cherry wanted to hear. She realized her own violent reactions were stimulating to this man. All of his other victims had been compliant and fearful, but Cherry was the complete opposite. The ferocity she showed him, enticed him more and more.

"How old are you?"

"Thirty."

"Lies," he said with a grin. "Your eyes tell me so much more. You haf zat look in your eyes like zose long-lived mystics. You are much older zen zat."

"You're right. I'm older."

"I have alvays loved ze charms of an older voman… Humm… Get up and come vith me."

She followed him through a door to the side, fearing she knew what was behind this door.

She was right. It was Steinberg's room.

Cherry looked down, and said," Is this what you want?"

Picking her chin up softly, he said," It is indeed vhat I vant. You."

She tore her face from his hand and said," And I suppose if I say no, then Eden and Ari will suffer?"

"They vill indeed. Archon Xiao has been getting impatient lately, and craves fresh blood. You remember vhat I told you vhat vould happen to zem before? If you refuse me, zen zat vill be zeir fate."

Cherry nodded grimly and said," I know… I'm only going to ask you once. Do not do this…"

He ignored her and said," 004821. I do not take orders from prisoners. I vill haf you in my bed, or ve vill head straight to the torture chamber to vatch your friend's insides get torn out. Zen after zat, you vill vatch as I take both of zem to my bed in your place. Now vhat vill it be?"

She grimaced and clenched her knuckles together until her fingers were white.

"Choose visely."

_No,_ she thought. _I'm not going to betray them. Even if it means… Oh God… Kayain… Forgive me._

She looked up right into his eyes and said," Fine… I will. But I want you to know something. I _will_ kill you. You've gone beyond redemption in my eyes, and aren't fit to live anymore. If you think what you're going to do to me is bad, then you're sadly mistaken. What I will do to you will be ten times worse. The Council will mention your name, and tremble in fear of what happened to you."

He grinned maliciously at her and said," Are you qvite sure you can do zat? You haf no chance of escaping as long as I control zese collars."

"Absolutely sure. You will be the first one I kill."

He laughed at her and said," I'm sure… Now, enough of zis. You vill vait here. I vish to shower first. Take your clothes off and vait on my bed… And do exactly as I say or your friends vill get hurt"

He strode to the bathroom, and took one final glance to make sure she was doing as she was told. When he was satisfied, he cast an approving look to her and closed the door.

Cherry sat, cold and shivering. The wait for the inevitable was the worst part. What made it worse was that even if she refused, both Ari and Eden would suffer the same fate. After that, she would be next regardless.

Her thoughts drifted to Kayain. What would he say? What would he do? She wished he would never find out, but knew that was impossible. Just thinking about this made her insides feel like she'd swallowed a brick.

Though she had been gone for only two weeks, she missed him, and the rest of the team fiercely.

She decided, she still was not going to stop fighting. Whatever he tried, she was definitely not going to make it easy. She was going to stall as long as possible.

Steinberg came out finally, dressed in a bathrobe. He was very pleased to see her, and didn't take his eyes off her.

"You really are very beautiful, my dear."

"You're not," she said.

"Zere's zat vit again. I don't know vhere you get it from."

Cherry was trying hard not to make herself desirable, or make any motions.

"PMS. It's that time of the month. It's like a river down there."

"Charming… Vhat is zat smell?"

"The food you guys serve," said Cherry. She figured if she acted more like Kayain, perhaps he'd change his mind. "Just doesn't agree with the ol' bowels. Careful, I'm likely to puke as well."

"You know, if you don't cut that out, I'm just going to have to hit you. And we both don't vant zat, yes?"

But Cherry did want that. She might even drive him to make a mistake, and she'd seize an opportunity.

"But there's so much more personal things you need to know about me," she said in a mocking tone.

"Enough! You vill shut your mouth, or I vill shut it for you!"

With that, he took off his robe, which gave Cherry had another idea.

She laughed hysterically and pointed at him.

"Oh my God, is _that_ it?! HA HA HA! Hey, maybe this won't be so bad. I won't feel a thing!"

To Cherry's surprise, Steinberg turned red, and recovered himself.

"STOP ZAT!" he yelled at her. "STOP ZAT NOW!"

"I can't! It's pathetic! I've seen two year olds with bigger! That is sooo sad! I mean-"

Steinberg furiously jumped at her, and began choking her. Cherry did not resist, in hope that she pass out. He let go and began to punch her all over.

He wanted to make her hurt badly for that. He wanted to make her suffer. But Cherry didn't care, because the pain would eventually make her numb.

Steinberg lifted her off the bed by her throat and pressed her against the wall, where he proceeded to slap her viciously.

When he was done, he threw her down and pulled her hair up and said," You vill pay for zat… Xiao will find out about zis, and vhen he does-"

He was interrupted by an impatient knock at the door.

"STEINBERG! Get your ass out here NOW!" they heard the familiar voice of Archon Crane.

Steinberg frowned and yelled back," Can it vait? I am busy!"

"Get out here! We're under attack! The whole base is being attacked!"

Cherry's heart leapt when she heard this. Kayain had come for her.

"Vhat?!" he said, genuinely shocked. "How can-" he stopped and looked to Cherry. "YOU! I _know_ you had somezing to do vith zis! TELL ME!"

Cherry coughed up blood and said," Go to hell."

He raised his fist at her, when Archon Crane came storming in and yelled," What the… What's going on here?! Stein? Is that a prisoner?!"

"Zis attack is _her_ fault I know it!"

"Deal with her later! We have an attack on our hands now! There's about two hundred or more super powered freaks out there, and if we don't get out there, we're going to get slaughtered!"

Steinberg cried out in anger as he punched her one last time. He looked to one of Crane's officers who was standing in the doorway and said," Take her to her cell and lock ze area down, NOW!"

Cherry slowly got back up and walked to the doorway. Before she walked out, she stopped at the doorway and turned back to see Crane and Steinberg arguing.

"Hey, Stein!" she called out.

They both stopped and looked at her heatedly.

She made a gun motion with her fingers and said," You're dead Stein."

------------------------------------------------

Quest calmly and arrogantly strode through the battlefield toward the location he was told to go.

A Warwolf charged him, and in one swift, fluid motion, he unsheathed his sword, chopped it's head off, and sheathed his sword.

"What a bore," he said with a yawn. "You people aren't even trying are you?"

On the bottom level of the volcano was the front line of defense, including walls, gun turrets, and snipers.

One sniper caught Quest in his sights, and took a pot shot at him. Quest saw this coming, and deflected the bullet completely with his weapon.

"I hope your bullets can go faster then that," he called out.

"Freeze!" said a Council soldier from behind.

Quest smiled and put his hands up. The soldier brought his comrades and they surrounded him.

"Oh my," said Quest. "Looks like you got me, hua?"

"You're coming with us!" said another guard.

When he approached Quest, his gun was pushed to the side, and Quest swiftly went around him, and choke held him from behind.

The other soldiers took aim, and opened fire. Quest easily used this guy as a human shield, and did not take a hit. He let go, and with a startling burst of speed, he cut and hacked each soldier like they were nothing.

He stopped and sheathed his weapon, and all the guards fell over at once.

"Humph," he said. He spoke into the radio and said," Teams, how goes it?"

"There's no end to these guys!"

"We're holdin' out here!"

"Got heavy resistance on the north!"

"Keep going," said Quest. "Me and my team are almost past the first wall."

_Almost there Phoebe_, he thought. _We'll spring you out of this God forsaken place_.

------------------------------------------------

Steinberg and Crane walked out of the base with several soldiers in tow. All of the other soldiers were now at the front, taking care of the heroes.

"So, zey are all at ze front?" asked Steinberg. "Novone has come back here?"

"No," said Crane. "They're trying to break in through the front."

"Ze long vay… Crane, ve need more guards here. Should ze enemy come zis vay, it could be disastrous."

"We can't spare any guards! Just keep who you have in there for now. If we need to, we will- Did you hear something?"

"Ya, it sounded like a cannon."

"Um, sir?" said one of the guards.

They all turned to see a pair ships that resembled pirate ships firing very large boulders at them.

The troops all took cover as the boulder smashed into the side and sprayed them with fragments.

"Get inside! Protect the base!" said Crane.

------------------------------------------------

"Yo, ho ho," said Kayain. "Keep firing mateys!"

Danyel, and Mystic Wizard were both using powerful wind spells to send the boulders hurtling into the side.

"Almost there! Prepare to dock! Lu Bu!"

Lu Bu saluted and said," No problem. I got the grapple hook here!"

"Hey buddy," said Kayain. "That's the Anchor."

"It is?"

Kayain shrugged and said," The hell with it. Anchors away!"

Lu Bu wound up the Anchor, nearly taking a chunk out of Proto-man, and tossed it with ease to the surface.

As everyone docked, Kayain said," Those guys went in that door. What's it say Dan?"

Danyel said nothing as he looked at the door. He typed in a keypad nearby and said," And Viola, this is our door."

The door opened to the sound of an alert Claxton blaring down the corridor.

"You just always gotta be the one who opens the doors eh?" said Kayain.

"Not my fault if the door is smarter then you," said Danyel with a shrug.

The team hurried down the corridor meeting only minimal resistance along the way. Once or twice they would encounter a strange looking soldier who shot dark blasts from his hands.

But the most surprising encounter was the Warwolfs. Danyel insisted he finish them off with a silver knife, but the heroes told him they weren't true Werewolves.

The Vampyri were also surprising, but the Vigilantes were once again disappointed by their lack of Transylvanian accents.

When they reached a dead end, they came to a room with several large, square shaped, containers filled with water. As far as anyone could tell, this room's sole purpose was to confuse and or mislead people into thinking it was important. But the Council used these kinds of rooms as large coolant areas for even larger generators.

In the corner, they saw a small force of men, with one yelling," No you cannot wipe it in the coolant! If you put all that stuff into the system we could experience a core meltdown!"

"Sorry sir, it's just that the armory is full of this junk and-"

"I don't want to hear it! We have intruders, and we need to get rid of them."

"Sir! I think I see them!"

"What?!" said the officer. "Give me that!"

The uniformed man took the large weapon from the soldier and aimed it right at them.

"Move!" said Danyel.

A rocket came speeding their way. Danyel sent a powerful gust of wind it's way, and sent the rocket veering off course and into the wall nearby.

"Gah!" said the officer. "Just get them!"

The fight was very one sided. The heroes outnumbered them 3 to 1. The officer panicked and ran back out the way the heroes came in.

"Yo!" said Kayain pointing at the officer. "Let's kick his ass!"

Kayain persued the man down another corridor. When they came across an intersection, he looked both ways, not knowing where he went.

"Hey," he heard. Turning around he saw Bard right behind him.

"The bastard went one of these ways," said Kayain.

"Humm… I'll go this way then," said Bard resolutely.

"Sure," said Kayain. "Oh and Bard?"

"Yea?"

"Don't die."

With a smirk Bard said," I may not be able to regenerate, but a little bullet's not going to do me in."

Kayain nodded and took off down his corridor.

------------------------------------------------

Bard came across a very large room with a bridge in the middle that led to several pumps and tubes on the other side. Under the bridge was a lake of lava, which Bard guessed was the interior of the volcano. The lake went far and deep within the chazams, so far he couldn't see what was beyond.

A grenade fell just short of him, and Bard had to run straight for the bridge to get away. As he did this, several more grenades landed on the bridge. Bard took a dive just narrowly avoiding the explosions.

He looked up where the grenades had come from and saw the officer.

"You and your super powered freaks will NOT ruin my project! I have worked to hard and too long on this-"

"Shut up," said Bard. "I'm not even super powered and I still am more then a match for the likes of you."

"No powers? You come barging into my base with no powers and no weapons, and then expect to win against someone like me? You got a lot of nerve boy."

"_Don't_," said Bard with a sneer. "Call me boy."

"Ah, ha, ha, ha! You won't last a minute with me. Get up here so I can throw you off."

Bard looked around to see the stairs that led up to the rock-made platform. As he climbed, he looked around to see that this guy had nowhere else to run anyway.

The officer took off his uniform shirt and sported a muscle shirt with his pants. His muscle tone was a bit off in the fact that he looked like he used to take a lot of steroids.

"I am Nathan Crane," he said. "Master of arms and operations. I graduated with honors in our dojo, and have seen more combat then you'll ever see in your life. Who are you, with your silly costume, think you are to challenge me?"

Bard crossed his arms and smiled. He wasn't going to give him any satisfaction. He said," My name is Bard. I will gladly sing a funeral ballad for you."

Crane sneered and charged Bard. He came fast with a series of punches and kicks. Bard merely stepped away.

He then tried a high kick, but Bard turned, and side kicked Crane's balanceing leg, in the back of the knee. Crane fell over hard, and Bard follows up with a jumping leg drop.

The hit connects, but Crane is very solid. Bard is mildly surprised Crane is still breathing after that, but he had heard a rumor that Council soldiers were all souped up on some kind of drug that makes them very strong.

Crane rolls over and onto his feet. He shakes off the pain and puts his fists back up.

"What, is that all?" said Crane. "You're going to have to hit a lot harder if you think you can beat me."

"Wasn't even trying," said Bard with a grin.

------------------------------------------------

"So you're ok?" asked Ari.

"Yes," said Cherry with a slight smile. "For the hundredth time yes. He didn't get to have his way with me. Cuts and bruises heal anyway… "

"Still, I was worried sick," said Ari. "But besides that, you must be cold."

Cherry was thrown back into the cell still without her clothes.

"Nah, it's to humid in these ugly cells for that… And thank goodness for that, these bastards don't even give us blankets."

Eden, who was keen to change the subject said," Is there anything else you can tell us about these invaders?"

"No, just that there is a whole lot of heroes out there. Other then that, I think we're going to be rescued."

"I hope so…" said Eden. "This place is so trying on the mind, and-"

Cherry held her hand out to silence her. All three listened as they heard the faint sound of gunfire somewhere.

"That's them!" said Ari excidedly. "That's our rescuers! They've come for us!"

"Shhh," said Cherry.

The gunfire abruptly stopped after a few minutes. Then came footsteps, walking fast and dileberatly closer. The footsteps haulted right in front of the door.

Cherry got up and went to the steel door and put her ear on it. She nearly fell over when a loud banging came.

"Hello!" said a very masculine voice that was pretending badly to be feminine. "Housekeeping! This is your housekeeping call! I promise I won't steal your wallet!"

It was Kayain. Cherry's heart was racing as she said," Hope you didn't forget to bring the complimentary soaps."

The small window at the top of the door swung open, and Cherry stood up and looked right into Kayain's eyes.

"Ah," he said casually. "Haven't escaped yet I see? You guys see what I'm talking about? Completely helpless without me."

She was so happy to see him she was absolutely giddy about it. "Kayain! Oh, you don't know how happy I am-" Catching herself, she re-straightened her face and said casually," Well what I mean is… This was just a test you know? For you that is."

"A test?"

"That's right. It was a test. And hey, you passed it!"

"I did? Freaking sweet!"

They stared at one another for a moment, then realizing people were watching, turned away.

"Ahem…"

"Yea," said Kayain smoothing his hair back in recovery. "So… Want me to break down the door?"

"I'll help!" said someone else.

"Who was that?" said Cherry.

"Oh, it's Proto-man. He caught up with me and we found this area. Now step back…"

Proto-man was about the last person she wanted to be caught naked with.

"NO! Wait!"

"What's up babe?"

"I," she began, and looked a bit embarrassed. "I'm not wearing anything!"

"Oooooh," said Kayain trying to hide a smile. "Well everyone else here is wearing something… Were you just waiting for me?"

"Long story."

"I'll hear it later."

"Wait," she heard another voice say. "Cherry's naked in there?"

"WHAT?!" she heard Proto say. "She's nude?!"

"Kayain," said Cherry a bit worried. "Who's out there besides you and Proto?"

"Well, it's me, Proto, and Talley."

It was everyone who wanted very much to see her naked in the first place. And everyone who she would rather die then let them see her naked.

"Great…"

"Hey, I'll find you some clothes," said Kayain. "Don't worry."

"So she's naked in there," said Proto, while rubbing his chin.

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Like completely?"

"Yes."

"Not lying?"

"Not lying…"

Proto nodded and smiled as he leaned against the wall nearby. Kayain continued," So does anyone know where the door controls are?"

Eden said," Go down the hall from here, and take two rights, then a left. Go up the stairs, and look around there."

"Nice," said Kayain. "How'd you find that out?"

"I got Xiao to tell us," she said with a satisfied. "The poor man falls hard into the villain category. I got him to monologue for a good thirty minutes before he brought us back."

"He sure did," said Ari. "Oh and he also said there was a main controller for the collars in the control room as well. Please release the collars as well."

"What collars?" asked Kayain.

"These," said Cherry as she lifted herself a bit to show Kayain her neck. "They keep our powers suppressed at all times."

"Oh," he said with a grin. "So _that's_ why you haven't escaped by now… I was wondering."

"Yea, so get to it already!" said Cherry with a smile.

"Heh, Oh, Yes Indeed! Everyone got that?"

"So we gotta go in the control room," said Talley. "Turn off these collars they're wearing, and open the doors."

"Yea, that's about it I think," said Kayain.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Proto. "Wait just a minute. Lemme get this straight… Cherry's naked?"

Cherry punched the door hard and said," YES! Now get going!"

"Come on!" said Kayain.

"Err…" said Proto. "I think I'd better stay and, uh, you know, keep an eye on them…"

Kayain grabs Proto by the collar and drags him down the hall.

------------------------------------------------

Bard and Crane were both exhausted from the sweltering heat and from the fight. The fight had not lasted very long, but the heat was draining.

They both stood their ground, tired, beaten and determined to win.

"Heh, you're not bad kid," said Crane.

"Just getting warmed up," said Bard.

"You've shown me extraordinary talent… Why do you hang out with those super powered freaks then? You're better then they are. I mean why come here and liberate these dangerous people? Don't you realize the Council's objective is to rid the world of such wicked power?"

Bard frowned. He vaguely wondered if sometimes he had come off to Tempest the same way this guy was. There were times that he felt pity for him. Tempest, no matter what, could never be rid of his powers… his curse.

He shrugged and said," I may not like 'em… but they're just as much a part of this world as me and you. They didn't ask for it. They're just cursed… And I don't feel that any of them are better then me. You guys do, and you feel threatened. Well get a clue jackass, we're no different. I'm not saving super powered freaks… I'm saving people."

"Humph," said Crane. "If you think those mutants and freaks are people, you've got another thing coming, mutie lover!"

Bard had been called many things before, but that was a first. He charged Crane and threw a punch, which was blocked, and caught. Crane pulled the arm forward, pushed it back, and when he thought Bard was off balance, pulled him toward his knee to trip him.

But Bard was ready. Instead of falling on his back, he cart-wheeled around, reached around and took Crane's arm instead. Bard twisted, and sent Crane to the floor, with his arm in tow.

Bard sneered for a moment, and took advantage of his leverage and broke Crane's arm from the joint.

Crane cried out, and in desperation, rolled back, injuring the arm even more, but breaking free of the grip.

"ENOUGH!" he yelled. "I've had enough of this! Time for you to die!"

Bard charged in, but Crane reached down and lifted his pant leg to pull out a concealed gun. Bard stopped and rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the bullet.

He swerved left and right avoiding the shots, one after another. Bard leaped close to the edge of the rock platform, and the rock crumbled under his feet. He scrambled as fast as he could to grab on to the ledge, getting a view of the fiery pit below.

Crane walked casually to the edge. He leaned over and said," So much talent… gone to waste. I'm very sorry to have to do this to you, but you leave me with little choice."

Bard, with one hand on the ledge and one dangling, unstrapped his guitar, and grabbed the neck loosely.

"Good bye, Mister Bard…"

Bard took a swing with all of his might, and the guitar connected, shattering it in Crane's face.

Crane yelled as the strings cut into his face, and splints got in his eye. Bard pulled himself up, and took advantage of this by tackling him and punching the heck out of him.

When he was satisfied, Bard said," I'm done with you, you piece of garbage… And you're going to burn for what you've done."

Crane, with a surprising burst of energy, shoved Bard off him, and got back into his fighting stance with one eye open.

"Die!" he yelled as he charged Bard.

With his sight impaired, Bard was easily able to go down, and throw him over the edge.

He heard a loud thump from under him. When he looked, he saw that Crane had landed on the platform below.

Crane got up slowly and said," Looks like I'm not going to get burned after all. Ha, ha!"

Bard immediately ran down to catch him. Crane ran across the unstable bridge to the entrance, and used the last of his ammo to shoot the supports on the bridge. When Bard came to it, it collapsed before him.

"You cannot win against the Council!" said Crane as he ran off down the corridor.

"Shit!" said Bard. He pulled out his communicator and said," Hey, anyone who's out there, I need a bit of air support."

------------------------------------------------

Kayain stepped on the neck of the soldier in charge of the holding cells.

"This device is so cool, mind if I take a look?" said Kayain with a wicked grin.

The guard was unable to answer, but Kayain said," What's that? You say you want to help me? Well be my guest!"

Kayain picked him up and punched him in the gut. The soldier wretched and threw up. Kayain threw him at the control panel and said," You'd better hurry, my friends are getting impatient. And Tally over there might get a little rough on you like he did to your friends."

The other guards were staring wide eyed into space with their mouths open, sometimes screaming, and sometimes twitching.

"Nightmares can happen, even if you're awake," said Talley smoothly.

The guard slowly got back up, and received a slap on the back of the head by Kayain.

"Good man," said Kayain. "Now first off, turn off the collars."

"I-I, c-can't!" said the guard frantically. "They'll kill us all!"

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong. They'll kill _you_ all. Not us. Now let them go and I'll see to it that they won't harm you."

"How would you do that?!"

"Easy pal. Just leave it to me. Now deactivate those collars or I'll start tap-dancing on your face."

"O-ok… you promise you won't let them hurt me?"

"Hero's honor," said Kayain with a wide grin.

The guard begins to type on the panel, and says," There. The collars are deactivated, and the doors are unlocked… now about what you said…"

"Yea, your protection," Kayain said. He immediately punches the man so hard he goes unconscious. "I never said that _I _wouldn't do anything to you… Besides, they can't harm you if they think you're already dead… Oh man I'm so freaking funny!"

------------------------------------------------

Cherry felt a familiar sensation over her. She looked around and heard Ari's surface thoughts.

"Hey!" said Ari. "I think the collars are off!"

"I can feel the flow of magic again," said Eden. "It's like Rapture…"

"Oh, it feels good to be whole again," said Cherry as she used her power to tear off the collar.

The speaker turned on and it said," This is your captain speaking."

She recognized the voice as Kayain.

"First of, we'd like to thank you for flying air Vigilante, and would like to formally apologize for being delayed. Next, if you'll look under your heads, you'll find the suppressive collars have been deactivated by yours truly; the sexiest man alive, Kayain. Today's in flight movie is 'Revenge of the mystics, The Council's demise'. And if you'll all exit your cell doors in a disorderly fashion, we hope you can provide us with a little turbulence… And once again, thank you for choosing us, The Vigilantes as your host."

A loud cheer went up, and blasts of power were heard as the cell doors were opened.

"They did it!" said Ari. "They really did! You were right Cherry!"

Cherry smiled and said," I just knew he'd come for me… And Ari? I'm glad you're ok."

"Thank you Cherry, for all your help," she said sincerely.

"Yes," said Eden. "You have my thanks as well. You and your team saved us from a fate worse then death."

"Heh… Come on guys, you're embarrassing me…" she said. Cherry perked her head up and said," Oh no! Proto-man's coming!"

Proto-man came right up to the door and said," Are you still in there Cherry? I've come to, uh, protect you! Yea, that's it."

He opened the door, and met face to face with Eden.

"Uh… where's Cherry?"

"Invisible. I have concealed her dignity. You will wait out there for Kayain to bring her clothing you lecherous fool."

"What?! Ah, no! You've got me all wrong! I was just trying to _protect_ her. Really!"

They wait patiently for Kayain to come running up. Kayain sees a very disappointed Proto-man standing outside the door.

"Thought I was too late. You bastard, running off to sneak a peek at Cherry."

"Yea well, she was invisible anyway. I just don't understand why I come off as so untrustworthy?"

"Big mystery," said Kayain with a roll of his eyes.

"Kayain?" he heard from inside. "Are you there?"

"Yea babe," he said as he pulled out a pair of pants and a shirt. "It was hard to find your size, but this is what I came up with. You might want to use the belt too."

He handed them to Eden and waited outside. The three came out when Cherry was fully dressed.

Kayain and Cherry smiled at each other, and Cherry came and hugged around his midsection.

"Thank you Kayain," she whispered.

Kayain couldn't help but smile and laugh softly. He said," Hey, come on, don't embarrass me… Everyone's watching!"

"And if I said I don't care?"

Kayain looks at her in mild surprise. She smiles at him and says," I really don't."

"Uh," he says, as he turns bright red. "Doh… Ah! I know what you're doing! You just want to kiss me so I can loose the bet! Ha! But I caught you first! Oh, good try though!"

All three girls look very disappointed. Proto says," Oh, that's a dirty trick. Pretending to like him to make him loose. Man, talk about a cheap shot!"

Cherry lets go and says," Kayain… You're an idiot."

"Hua? What? What did I do?"

"Clueless," said Eden.

"You blew it," said Ari.

"Hey! What's going on?! Why is everyone making fun of me?" said Kayain.

------------------------------------------------

Archon Xiao said on his communicator," Steinberg! Where are you?!"

"_In trouble_!" said Steinberg. "_It's ze mystics! Zey've escaped! Oh, no! Zey are heading zis way_!"

"Steinberg, come in! Hey answer me!"

Steinberg was cut off there. Xiao swore out loud and called in," Crane? Where are you?"

"_Getting the hell out of here!_" said Crane. "_Those damn heroes let the mystics out, and they're on a rampage! They're killing every guard and researcher in sigh!. It's a bloodbath! Get out now while you can!_"

"Oh, I will Crane… That I will," said Xiao. He smirked because unlike the rest of them he could astral step and reappear in another location.

He concentrated a moment, and nothing happened. He slapped his forehead as he realized that the Nictus soldiers had made the area impassible by the Astral step. Xiao was now just as stuck as the rest of them.

He began to curse loudly as he heard footsteps down the hall. He panicked and began to run the other way. But he saw a large set of shadows down the other way, as a large group of people descended on him. Running back, there was a mob coming from that direction as well.

Xiao was completely surrounded.

The two mobs closed in and stared at him.

"Hey, it's him," he heard someone in the crowd say. "Fernier, Sven, he's here!"

"What?" he heard another voice. "Move!"

Two men came to the front and stared him down.

"You Xiao?" said one man.

Xiao didn't answer.

"Yea he is," said the other man as he shook with rage. "I know that face anywhere! I'll never forget it, as long as I live!"

The other man stared him down and said," You… piece of SHIT! I heard what you did to my sister you bastard!"

Xiao finally recognized the man. He had personally ripped out his wife's ovaries in front of the man. Then as she lay bleeding to death, the men around laughed and had their way with her while she died in agony. The other man could only be the brother of the woman.

Another man stepped up and said," I heard what you've done, and I've seen it in your mind." He pointed to the two men and said," You can do what you wish. I will use my powers to make sure he stays alive, and completely conscious."

"No…" said Xiao. "I won't let you! I won't-"

And the world became white with pain.

From that point on, for the rest of his life, Xiao only knew pain, misery, and hopelessness. No one had ever felt sorry or regretted this.

------------------------------------------------

Crane ran down the hall as fast as he could to escape the oncoming mystics. He knew they could sense where he was, and was running out of options. Two of the three passageways were becoming filled with mystics, so he took the third, which he knew led to the armory.

He knew the armory was very secure, and they'd have to try very hard to get it open. But even then, he'd have all the weapons he needed for one final assault before he goes down.

He ran down as fast as he could, hearing the mob getting closer and closer. When he arrived at the door, he saw Adjutant Hess leaning casually on the door.

"Hess!" said Crane. "What the hell are you doing?! Where were you?! And why weren't you helping us?!"

"You've picked the wrong side Crane," said Hess smoothly. "Heh, to think this might not have happened if I hadn't have interfered."

"What are you saying? _You_ had something to do with this?"

"What if I am?"

"Traitor! I will kill you!" said Crane as he reached for his gun, only realizing it was empty.

"I'll allow you only one last thing Archon," said Hess. "You can stand aside and let me pass, or I won't tell you the changed combination to this door."

"You changed it?!"

"Sure did. You want in or not?"

Crane had only seconds to think. They mystics were not far behind.

"Grr… ACK! Get the hell out of my sight!"

Hess walked aside without worry. He turned around and said," 88234. That ought to do it. Goodbye Archon."

With a snarl, Crane punched in the numbers to the door, and it slid open. It was pitch black inside, but he ran in knowing where the lights were.

Back outside Ernesto Hess strolled over to the angry mob and said," Everyone clear the area."

"Ernesto Hess?" said one of the mystics.

"Oh, hello again Violet," said Hess pleasantly.

Some of the mystics asked Violet who he was, and she said," He's the one who led my team against Archon Burkholder. He's helping out Freedom Corps."

Hess nodded and said," And now I've called in some backup to get you guys out. Hey listen like I said we need to clear the area, fast."

------------------------------------------------

Crane flicked on and off the power switch, and nothing happened.

_Hess!_ He thought. _You cut the power you bastard!_

He felt around for the keypad, but it would be no use since there was no power inside.

He was going to make the most of it anyway. He reached around blindly and bumped into crates that he was unsure of what was in there.

_Damn, I need a light… Or better yet, I need a smoke._

He reached inside his pockets and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He got one and searched for his lighter.

When he found it, he heard someone say," _Here, allow me._"

"Thanks," said Crane.

"_Don't mention it._"

Something about that little conversation gave him the chills down to his soul. He knew for some reason he should be very worried.

"Uh… Wait a minute," he said thinking about earlier. "Didn't they give me a report about something wrong with the armory?"

"_Oh yes they did. Chemical spill._ _Highly volatile chemicals to be exact._"

"Yea, that's it."

With the shock of realization, he opened his mouth in surprise. The cigarette fell in slow motion to the floor while illuminating a pale man wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase. The man was wearing a very amused grin on his face that nearly scared him to death.

But the explosion killed him first.

------------------------------------------------

"Right on cue," said Hess as they felt the enourmous rumble.

"Hey!" he heard a costume clad hero say. "What are you guys doing with that Council soldier?"

"He's one of us," said the mystic. "He's the one who gave you guys the information."

"Ah," said the hero. "Say did any of you guys see a shirtless soldier come this way? I owe him a beating still."

"Ah," said Hess. "You must mean Archon Crane. Did you feel that explosion earlier? He was a part of it."

The Hero smirked and said," Oh really?"

He folded his arms and said to himself," Crane… Looks like you did burn after all."

------------------------------------------------

"No! Unhand me you filth!" said Steinberg as a large group of mystics held him down.

"You can't do zis to me! I am ze one in control! You are scum! You are-"

"Shut your trap," said one.

"This is going to be so sweet… Is she here yet?" said another.

"I am," said Cherry.

"We held him for you," said the first one.

"How thoughtful," said Cherry.

"Yea… Some of us read his mind and saw what he was doing to you… We figured you should have first dibs."

"Yes of course," said Cherry with a wicked grin. "Thank you all very much."

Steinberg looked in horror at Cherry's face. That look she had given him before, but this time he was the helpless one.

He had always in a way had a slight fear of her. Now she was absolutely terrifying. His eyes met hers, and they were locked. At this point, he completely lost control and soiled himself thoroughly.

"I will have first dibs on him, and last. When you are all done, he is mine, understand?"

They nodded.

"D-don't kill me!" he pleaded.

"I'm not going to kill anyone… I'm going to butcher an animal…"

------------------------------------------------

Quest made it with his team deep in the interior of the Council's base.

"We should be here already!" said Adagio. "Where the heck are they?"

"I don't know," said Quest. "But that explosion definitely came from this way."

"Guys… I can hear Phoebe!" said Eva. "She's free! How did that happen?!"

Quest stopped and said," That's a relief. Tell her to come to us."

"I will," she said as she concentrated.

Everyone waited on Eva as she psychicly communicated to the prisoners. When she opened her eyes she said," This way!"

They all ran down with Eva in the lead. Twisting through the rocky corridors, they came upon a large door.

"Stand back," said Eva. "They're going to break it down."

The team went around the corner to wait for the door to fall down. With a loud blast, the door was sent flying apart all across the hall. Quest and the others came around to see Phoebe accompanied by a large group of mystics.

"Quest!" she said excidedly.

"Phoebe! Oh man, you had us worried, girl!"

She gave him a quick hug and said," Ha! You think something like this can take me down? No way!"

"How did you get out?"

She frowned and said," The Vigilantes…"

"But… How?!" said Quest. "They weren't even with us at all!"

"They came in the back. I'm surprised you didn't."

A thought hit Quest, and he said," Wait… Unless… Ack! I think we've been played for fools! It must have been _them_ to give us that information… They wanted a distraction for them to sneak in the back!"

"That's what I guessed too," said Phoebe.

"Sonova… Phoebe, Eva, contact the other prisoners and tell them to come this way. We have the ships to carry them back."

The two went to work while Quest said," Adagio, you contact the press. They're waiting on the ship. I will _not_ be the one to look a fool here. Remy, you and the rest guide these people back safely."

The two nodded and went to their duties. Quest followed the two women and said," Phoebe, you look terrible. What happened here?"

She sighed and said," All will be explained later. For now let's just get everyone out. I can't stand another minute of being here."

------------------------------------------------

"Cherry… is… Scary!" said Proto-man. "I mean look at that guy! She didn't even lay a hand on him, and… just _look_ at him!"

All of the Vigilante rescue team had been assembled. All of the actual Vigilantes were used to the kinds of things Cherry was able to do. They also knew she never did it without a reason.

"Aye," said Biggs. "'S why ya don' pick a fight with our Cap'n. Unless ya want ter look like this fella."

"That's horrible!" said Sentry. "What did he do to deserve that?!"

"I have to agree, who is this guy?" said Tempest.

"Believe me," said Cherry. "Putting him out of his misery was the nicest thing I did… After all the other mystics were done with him that is."

"Yea but what did he do?" said Sentry.

"You'll find out in tomorrow's paper," said Cherry. "For now, I just want to go home. It's been a long and trying day."

She turned to the group of mystics and said," There is a large ship waiting by the dock. You all should head there."

"Where are you guys going?" said one from the crowd.

"Yea," said another. "You guys were the ones that freed us!"

"Please," said Cherry. "We're not going to make a big fuss out there. Just get going for now."

"Hey, come on!" said another. "We have to celebrate for this! We want you guys to be there!"

"Party sounds cool!" said Proto-man.

"Then please leave with them," said Cherry. "You're giving me a headache."

"Na," he said. "You guys are my pals, I wouldn't ditch you."

"Cool! We'll have a party of our own then!" said Kayain.

Cherry sighs as she said," I just want some quiet time…"

------------------------------------------------

Quiet time was far from it. The team managed to slip back out the backdoor and left the cleanup for Quest's team.

Kayain had 'let it slip' their apartment location, and hundreds of familes of psions, and mystics alike wanted to come and show their appreciation. Eventually it turned into a full scale block-party.

"Everyone shut up!" said Kayain. "News report! Let's see it!"

"_And we have here_," said the news reporter lady. "_The man leading the rescue assault, Quest Xanthe, and his team, the Ages Sect._"

Quest smoothed his hair out and said,"_ It was a tough fight, but we came through due to my planning._"

"_Can you elaborate on the plan?_"

"_Oh it was simple really,_" he said with another annoying smoothing of his hair. "_You see, I had planned to go in the front with the hero support, but decided that might result in too many casualties. I changed the plan to battle on three sides as a _complete_ distraction for my real goal._"

"_And what was that_?"

"_I sent in a smaller detachment to sneak in the back, and free the mystics, thus having an attack from the inside._"

"_I see. We have reports saying that this group was the Vigilantes, and some people say they were acting on their own._"

With a smile, the news reporter lady blushed slightly. Quest said," _Of course they were! I ordered them to act on their own so obviously there would be no radio communication. We wanted them to be a complete surprise… and it worked._"

"_Marvelous,_" she said. "_So what are your plans now?_"

"_Well-_"

"Ugh," said Kayain. "Turn it off before he starts combing his hair again."

"This isn't true is it?" asked one of the mystics.

"Not in the slightest," said Danyel. "We were the ones who manipulated him, and he's just playing it off."

"Cherry," said Sentry. "You said you'd tell us what went on inside there, can you elaborate?"

"Yea," said another mystic. "From what I read, Steinberg picked you as his 'favorite'."

Cherry looked up from her drink and said," This story isn't going to be pleasant… But I suppose I need to let you know for a bit of closure. I someone should write this down, and keep the public informed."

After Cherry told her tale, the mood of the party had changed to a grim mood. Kayain of course was beside himself with anger.

"I had no idea," said Kayain. "He was right there, and- Argh! If I'd have known then, I would have torn him to pieces!"

"Well," said one of they mystics. "We did get our vengeance already."

"I know but… Now _I_ want some payback!" said Kayain.

"If it will make you feel better," said Cherry. "Tomorrow we'll go out early in the morning and find some Council soldiers on the street corners to beat the hell out of."

He crossed his arms and said," Fine… We'll do that then."

"Oh, count me in for this too," said Danyel.

"And me!" said Diana.

"I'm up for this," said Regina.

Soon after, all the people in the party wanted to join in.

"Humm," said Cherry. "You know I'm feeling a lot better now. What say we do this now, hua? Let's go light up the town."

Cheers went up all around as people began filing out of the room and pouring onto the streets.

Cherry stood up and Kayain said," Uh, Cherry?"

She stopped. She knew he only called her by name if he was either embarrassed or concerned.

"Yes Kayain?"

"That dude, Steinwhatever… He didn't touch you did he?"

She figured this question would come up sooner or later. She said," Kayain… You trust me right?"

"Well, yea. Go through hell and back with you."

"Good," she said as she smiled brightly at him. "Then you should know he never laid a finger on me in that room. And that was thanks to you."

He thought about this and said," Back at the cells there, is that why you were so happy?

"Yes."

"Ah, I was wondering why… And, you uh… wanted to… you know… thank me?"

Her grin turned sly as she said," Now, now. You said yourself I was trying to make you loose. So no reward for you."

"What?! Oh wait, come on!"

"Race you downstairs!" she said as she ran out the door.

"Not fair! This is way uncool!" he said following her.

------------------------------------------------

The Freedom Phalanx, one of Paragon City's premiere groups arrived back from battling an evil from another dimension. They had been gone longer then expected and arrived in time to catch up on the news.

"Looks like we missed something big," said Synapse.

"Indeed," said Statesman. "A massive kidnapping? Positron how long were we gone?"

"Hard to say," said Positron. "Dimension shifting has different effects on time, and what may seem like a day to us is a month in our dimension."

"I hope we haven't been gone a month," said Sister Psyche.

"Me neither," said Positron. "But it seems as if we were gone for longer then a few days."

"Well," said Statesman as Quest talked on the news report. "I'm glad it's resolved… perhaps we should make a statement?"

"That'll lead to questions like,' and where were _you_ when all this went down'. Best to leave this as it is," said Manticore.

"I believe he is correct," said Positron.

"Still," said Statesman. "We should consider saying something."

"How about the usual,' Good job, you guys are heroes of the city,'" said Manticore as he picked up a newspaper.

"Manticore, your negative attitude is noted," said Statesman.

Manticore shrugs and walks to the door with newspaper in tow.

"And where are you going?" asked Statesman.

"To do battle with Lord Recluse," he said simply.

"What?!" said Statesman. "What do you mean? You can't possibly mean that… and that's the way to the bathroom!"

Manticore wondered vaguely if Statesman had ever in his life laughed at a joke or a witty quip in his life.

"Yea I know… You'll find out later."

"I don't understand you," said Statesman.

. It had been an awkward fight earlier. Statesman and Positron had chosen to ignore it, Synapse was failing miserably not to laugh, and Sister Psyche was blushing constantly.

The simple fact was, Manticore was in a state of nearly permanent arousal. He could not put a finger on why, but the most embarrassing part was that he was wearing spandex.

If there was going to be any satisfaction today, he wanted it in peace. Manticore went into the bathroom and looked down at the toilet paper. With a grin he said," So, Lord Recluse… We meet again! Looks like you didn't get enough the first time-" he said while undoing his costume trousers.

"Well, there's plenty more where that came from! And I _won't_ go easy on you this time!"


	10. Chapter 10 Double Venue

**Chapter 10: Double Venue**

"Happy Birthday to you!" Diana sang. "Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Danyel! Happy Birthday to you!"

She added," Again! But this time a little more enthusiasm you guys!"

"I'll pass," said Cherry. "Go ahead Danyel, blow out the candles and make a wish."

"Humm," Danyel said rubbing his chin. "Now what do I want more then anything… Oh I know!"

He blew out the candle, and sidestepped out of the way while Kayain fell forward. Danyel used a wind spell to push him further, and landed his face in the cake.

"Well, part of my wish came true!" laughed Danyel.

"Aah!" said Kayain. "How did you know I was going to do that?!"

"You try that all the time," he said. "You're becoming predictable."

"Yup," said Diana as she went toward the kitchen. "Luckily that was a backup cake. I'll get the real one."

"Bastard," said Kayain as he ate the cake on his face.

Danyel's birthday party was a surprise cooked up by Diana. The Vigilantes were of course all there, as well as a few invited friends.

"My compliments to the Chef," said Lord Daniel.

"Esh," said Proto man with a mouth full of cake. "Sish ih uckn gooh!"

"Glad you boys like it," she said. "Everyone get their fill?"

"Yes thank you," said Eden. "But I'm afraid I must depart now."

"Aaw," said Ari. "But you just got here!"

"I know, and I'm sorry," said Eden. "But duty calls."

"Still as reclusive as always," said Cherry with a smile.

"And I must be even more so with what happened," said Eden. "But I thank you for the food and must depart."

"Thanks for at least showing up," said Cherry. "Keep in touch."

"I will," said Eden.

After Eden left, Diana said," Well I suppose it's time for presents."

"Presents!" said Proto-man. "I brought you one man!"

"Really?" said Danyel. "Is it appropriate enough that I can open it in front of everyone?"

Proto-man had to think about this for a moment. He said," I would say yes because it's just us… If my or your mother were here, I'd say no."

He laughs and says," All right, hand it here."

Danyel opens the badly wrapped box and laughs.

"Spanish fly," he said as he read the label. "Just slip her one, and she'll be hot and ready all night long."

"What's it do?" said Diana.

"Ah-ha… Honey, it's pretty much a gift for both of us."

"Oh… Well what does it do?!"

"You'll find out later. Trust me."

"Well, ok… Hey open mine next!"

"Sure," he said as he took a small package from her. "This is… A scroll?"

"Not just any scroll! A majikal spell!"

"A spell… And where did you get a spell from?"

"Oh from that nice man we met at M.A.G.I. oh so long ago."

"The hawker?"

"He's not a hawker! He's a businessman! He said so himself."

Danyel rubbed his temple.

"Diana," he said. "I really just think he sold you something he made up."

"No, no! I promise he didn't! He sold me a gen-u-ine spell! I showed it to Azuria and she said it's a spell. Honest."

"Humm," he said as he looked skeptically at the scroll. "Well you're right, it does have some magical residue on it. I suppose taking a look at it wouldn't hurt."

Danyel scanned quickly through it, and made a face.

"Magical servants?"

"Yea, he said this spell summons a few magical servants to come and, oh I don't know… Do chores, fetch magic books, or get a glass of water for you…. You know, handy stuff."

"Well, I can't deny I've needed an assistant or two," he said, thoughtfully. "Ok, we'll give it a shot."

They moved an area where Danyel could cast. He chanted slightly, and raised his arms. When he did this, the floor suddenly caught fire in three different spots.

"Oh no!" said Diana. "What's going on?!"

"I don't know!" said Danyel. "It's… Hold on… Look at that!"

The three fires on the floor began to take form. The form was very monkey-like, but without a tail. The three creatures made of fire sprung to life and ran to Danyel's side.

"Oh," said Danyel as he looked at them. "They're imps!"

"They're on fire!" said Kayain.

"They're _CUTE_!" said Diana with a very large grin.

"Hey," said Cherry as she watched Diana pet one. "Why isn't she getting burned? And for that matter, why isn't the floor burned, or on fire?"

"It's simple really," said Danyel. "They're using magical fire. They're a little like Golems in the sense that they have a bond to the caster. Although unlike Golems, they can think and act on their own. Humm, I wonder… You three, go do the dishes."

The imps sprang into action, and ran to the kitchen. Everyone followed to see what they would do. Danyel was not disappointed.

They began to set fire, or melt every single dish, pan, and utensil they could find.

"My dishes! No!" said Diana.

"Just as I expected," said Danyel.

"Make them stop!"

Danyel snapped his fingers and the imps vanished in a flash of fire.

"To answer your other question, sis, about the reason why Diana could touch them without getting burned… What they are is living mana, personified in the form of fire. The imps remain harmless to anyone I consider an ally, because of the bond they have to the caster. Since they're using my mana, they have a sense of who is an enemy and who is an ally. I named a target, like the dishes, and they went to do the only thing they knew… set it ablaze."

"My dishes… They're melted…" sobbed Diana.

"Look around," said Danyel. "You'll notice no scorch marks anywhere, just the melted dishes… You know, I don't think that hawker knew exactly how useful this spell was. A spell like this would cost a fortune to have… How much did you get it for?"

"Fifty bucks," she said while trying to peel a melted plate off the floor.

"Very nice. In Matronia it would cost possibly three hundred or four hundred million credits. Honey you've given me a wonderful present. Thank you… Er… I'll buy you some new dishes. I promise."

The rest of the presents were fairly normal, from, trinkets, to clothes, to a bikini from Kayain (who was making fun of him from seeing him in Diana's nightgown).

Later in the day when all of the guests began leaving, Lord Daniel came to Cherry and said," So we're still good for the Charity concert and ball next week?"

"Definitely," said Cherry. "I've been looking forward to it."

"Excellent! Just be there before 9:00 am, and we kick off the festival at noon."

"We'll be there."

"Thanks, see you then!"

-----------------------------------------

There was much talk and excitement over the coming charity concert. Lord Daniel had gathered only the top names in music, which attracted a large crowd. Tickets were sold out almost the same day they were sold.

Of course this brought many problems, mostly in black market tickets, and hawkers. Even the lowest of the low were able to get their hands on tickets, counterfeit or not.

One group in particular was looking for tickets, from anyone they could. This group was known as the Freakshow. The Freakshow's members are all unstable individuals in the sense that they are so supped up on drugs and toxins that in order to prove their worth, they will remove body parts and replace them with metallic weapons. Although they'd consider this cool, it was very problematical when trying to urinate or other bodily functions.

They consider themselves anarchists to the core, but like most villain groups, there is always a higharchy. But heroes just consider them very dangerous punks, metal-heads, and ravers.

The group that was looking for tickets was led by a Freakshow Tank named H311t3r Sk31t3r. But everyone just called him Helter Skelter, or Bob if they were close.

"Yo, man," said Helter. "I ain't got all day ya know. You gonna sell us tickets or what?"

"Oi!" said the hawker. "Oy can't just give these ticket fore that much! Yew should know oy paid ten tymes tha' ammoun' fore these tickets mate!"

"Look man, I don't give a crap what you paid for them. My offer is four hundred for all 5 tickets."

"Fore 'undred! _Fore_ 'undred?! Oi, yew gotta be outta yore mind! Do yew know how much these are sellin' fore?"

"I _know_ how much, and that's more then enough I say."

"Look, my offa stands mate. Eight 'undred fore the lot, and that's commin' wit the backstage passes mate. Gen-u-ine backstage passes fore yew and yore mates!"

Helter sighed as he said," Five hundred…"

"Seven 'undred."

"_Five_ hundred!!"

"Six 'undred is as far as oi go. Take it or leave it."

"Fine! Six hundred!"

"Yew have yore self a deal mate! Satisfaction gua-ron-teed, or my name isn't "Hook em'"

"Yea whateva. Just hurry the hell up and bring the tickets here."

As the hawker took off, one of Helter's lieutenants approached him and said," Eh, boss? You think that we can getta hold of some bands there for our Freaklympics celebration, eh?"

"That's the plan, ma man," said Helter. "We gots to find us some good ones for the celebration, cause I'm in charge of entertainment. And I heard even the _Vigilantes_ are going to be there!"

"No kiddin'? Daaamn man! We gotta get them! They kick so much ass man!"

"Don' even worry bout it. I gots it covered. We'll get them to play, one way or another."

-----------------------------------------

After everyone left, the Vigilantes went back to what they were doing. Danyel offered a special drink to Diana, while they all sat by the television.

"You know," said Cherry. "I really need a hobby now."

"Hobby?" said Kayain. "Well you've been practicing with us on the guitar right? Isn't that enough?"

"We can only practice so much in the day. The rest of the day I have nothing… I mean think about it. If I had another hobby, I would stay sharp. I don't want to get dull and run a risk of getting captured again."

"Ok… well, what did you have in mind?"

"Humm," she said as she thought about it. "Oh, you know I should probably practice my cooking."

Diana choked on her drink, while Kayain and Regina exchanged worried looks. Lu Bu on the other hand grinned said," Oh Captain! I _love_ your cooking! You make the best food I've ever eaten!"

"Well, thank you Lu Bu," she said pleasantly. "You see? Someone likes my food."

"Yea, but Lu Bu eats garbage," Kayain whispered to Regina.

"What was that?!" Cherry said turning menacingly to Kayain.

"Nothing! Really! Nothing at all!"

"Oh, that's it! I'm going to make us dinner tomorrow and you're going to eat it whether you like it or not!"

Regina frowned at Kayain and said," Way to go, jerk."

"Grrr, I… Man… Wait! Hey babe, I have a better idea!"

"What?" said Cherry as she crossed her arms.

"You can help us making the cartoon!"

"Really? You're asking for my help?"

"Oh yea… I know you don't want to help with our research, but you can help us make the cartoon… you know for accuracy, cause that's what you're good at, ya know?"

"Oh," she said with a smile. "Well how thoughtful of you… You're still eating my cooking though."

Kayain tried to hide the grimace as he heard this. When she looked at him, he put on a very fake smile and decided it was time to change the subject.

"Hey Tylar, I almost forgot to tell you," he said as he stood up. "By majority vote you've been put in the new position of Lead Researcher for us."

"It's about bloody time," said Tylar. "You know, at first I thought there might not be any reason to be here, but surprisingly… I've found… well we'll just say I found _something_ interesting."

"Oh?"

"Yes, you can call it an anomaly. While my biology knowledge isn't as good as my other subjects, I was able to find something interesting."

"Like what?"

He sighs and wonders how he would explain something like this to a three year old.

"It's like… most of the genome consists of certain elements that define your traits… but the ones I found are most irregular, and that comes not only in genetically powered females, but magical ones as well. All thanks to the samples you gave me."

Cherry looked over to him and said," What you mean you think there _is_ a gene in super heroines that causes huge breasts?"

"Sort of… I mean I think I might just be able to see what Kayain was talking about the whole time."

"You're absolutely sure?"

"Not absolutely, but I'd like to know," he said as he turned to give her his full attention. "As a matter of fact, I need your help.

"My help? What could I do?" she asked curiously.

"I need a test sample from tissue from the, oh let's call it, 'opposite end' of our research…"

Kayain nearly burst out laughing, and Cherry frowned at Tylar.

"Opposite end… What does that mean when you say that?"

"Err, nothing!" he said quickly. "What I simply meant was that you'd be perfect for the, uh, role I had in mind, for my research."

"I don't know about you Regina, but from what I understand he's saying Cherry has tiny breasts," said Kayain hoping she'd get angry at Tylar.

"No, no! I mean, well yes, essentially, but- That's not… KAYAIN YOU ARSEHOLE!"

Kayain began laughing loudly. Cherry turned and crossed her arms as she said," And what _did_ you mean, pray-tell?"

"I meant… uh… oh, shit.. Don't kill me please…"

Cherry grabs him by the ear as she said," Let's have a little chat shall we?"

"Yes ma'am…"

"First off, I'm well aware of my… condition… and secondly I will not be put on display to show off my features just for some silly cosmetic thing."

"Well, I wouldn't need to _see_ your… features. I would just need a hair sample or even a tissue sample… quite simple really."

"Uh-hua… that's it is it?"

"That's all…"

Cherry thinks about this for a moment. She looked back at him and said," No photos?"

"None. You'd be completely anonymous."

She let go of Tylar and said," Fine. I'll give you something, but after this, no more bothering me about it at all, got it? Tylar? Kayain?"

"I understand."

"Freaking sweet!" said Kayain.

-----------------------------------------

"So, Questy," said Eva. "What do you think? Could you get us in on the charity ball?"

"I recon so," said Quest. "I could call in a favor from one of the high officials we rescued from those Circle of Thorns. Heck, you probably could get us in as well."

"You think so?" she said as she smiled at him.

"Well, you've been pretty popular in those modeling agencies… And your eagerness to flaunt has been noticed. I'd say you could get in with a group of higher ups in fashion."

"Very true."

"But I doubt Adagio's ability to get us in… D.A.T.A. probably isn't high-society enough."

"Ha," said Adagio. "I'll have you know section 8 is very prestigious in D.A.T.A. I wouldn't be surprised if they _begged _us to come."

Eva and Quest exchanged looks. Eva said," Oh I sure would."

"Shut up."

At this moment, Remington came in. He looked around and said," The city is always in trouble."

"Isn't it?" said Quest. "Over these past few weeks we've had to deal with robberies, arson, kidnapping, and the occasional crazed druggie. I guess it's just the villains here are more at ease since they can stand up to super-powered heroes."

"Yes, it would seem that way," said Remington. "I found something odd on a villain who had his limbs cut off and replaced with metal pieces."

"Freakshow," said Quest as he took the paper from Remington. "Read about it on Heronet… Hello… What do we have here now?"

Considering most of the Freakshow members have no thumbs, fingers or even hands, the fact that this note was even written was a miracle. And it was written like a 3 year old, which was still a miracle in Quest's mind.

It read: _yo, ths si yur oportu oppor opert chans 2 bekom populr wit da freakz! Teh 3rd anu annuu time 4 da freaklympics!! Get yur teams 2gather and get rdy 4 a ful day of kaos and dest destr karnige. Ledrs well get mor info latar._

When they finished, Quest folded his arms and said," Humm… I don't like the looks of this."

"I know!" said Adagio. "I mean the grammar's horrible, spelling is abysmal, and who uses the number 4 instead the word 'for'?! What are we in kindergarten?!"

"Not that! I mean the message it's saying," he said as he paced in thought. "Freaklympics… Chaos and carnage… Well whatever this is, it doesn't sound good for the city… All right you guys, if you encounter any more of these Freakshow, remember to question them about the Freaklympics."

"Uh-hua," said Eva. "And since _when_ have you cared so much about this city?"

"Since we need to keep up our good reputation," said Quest. "Remy, good job. I'll see that this gets investigated first thing."

-----------------------------------------

Cherry looked and corrected much of Kayain's script for the past five hours.

"Kayain," she said. "Don't you think you went a little overboard on the shower scenes here?"

"Ah-ha ha ha," he laughed. "Maybe…"

"Humm," she said as she crossed out a few things in the script. "Don't need it here, or here… No, not here either."

"How else are we going to keep the audience's attention?!"

"Duh," said Cherry sarcastically. "Storyline dummy."

"Oh… you mean we're going to _have_ one?"

Cherry rolled her eyes and Regina said," I'm with Cherry on this one."

"We've already got the whole nudie transformation sequences, shower scenes will be passé, compared to that."

"Yea but… we _need_ some!"

"You're right," Cherry said as she tapped the pencil on the desk. "Oh, I know! Change the shower area to a locker room style and have all the girls shower at the same time… splashing water, playing, and comparing breast size."

Kayain, Regina, and Diana all stared at her in surprise.

"Uh," said Kayain. "Hi, I'm Kayain, who the hell are you?"

"I'm serious Kayain," said Cherry. "Because I understand the target audience, and as much as I hate to admit it, this is what they crave. Trust me, this will sell."

"Whoa," said Kayain as he scratched his head. "I don't believe I'm hearing this from Cherry of all people."

"Do you want this stuff to sell, or get passed on to the dollar store?"

"Right," said Kayain. "We'll, uh, make those changes."

"Next thing," said Cherry. "We need to make symbols for our transformation items of power. What would be on these symbols do you think?"

"I'd say we should go with familiar symbols here on this planet," said Regina.

"Great," said Cherry. "I've read up on a lot of animals lately. Any suggestions?"

"How about an Eagle?" said Kayain.

"Na, I've read about Eagles," said Cherry. "Eagles aren't that great. They're nearly extinct. Why would you use an Eagle as your symbol if they're almost all gone? Almost gives the impression that you're not that hard to take down, you know?"

"Point taken."

"Dragons!" said Diana.

"No, no, no," said Cherry as she frowned. "I hate Dragons. I've been eaten by one, and it wasn't nice. It was just lucky I had my psi blade at the time. No, Dragons. Besides, dragons are very cliché, and way overused. I mean you'd be promoting those losers who spends all day at the arcade wearing dragons on their shirt… You put dragons on these symbols and we tell people we're generic like every other anime out there."

"Ok, ok, I get the picture," said Diana. "No dragons, sheesh."

"Wolfs?" asked Regina.

"No wolfs either. Wolfs in my opinion are the redneck versions of dogs. They're often confused for being free spirited and wild. Bah, we know better. They're followers, and will beg and wine like a dog does to the pack leader. They can't be trained like dogs, not because they're free-spirited, but because they're stupid. You may as well put a sheep on the symbol because I don't want a wolf."

"A simple no would have been good," said Regina.

"How about a lion?" said Kayain.

"Lions? No lions. They're far from majestic. It's the females who do all the work while the males do what they do best… Pose dramatically fool people into thinking they look majestic. You put a lion on the items and you're basically saying,' my woman does all the work while I loaf around'… Although this would probably work in Kayain's case."

"Hey! That's… That's not right…" said Kayain.

"Ok," said Regina. "You've shot down all the supposed majestic creatures… What else do we have?"

"Unicorns!" said Diana.

"NO!" said Kayain, Cherry, and Regina.

"Aaw!"

"Look," said Cherry. "Let's just find some animals on the internet that naturally inhabit this planet."

It took another few hours, but everyone came back with suggestions.

"What do we have?" asked Cherry.

"A duck," said Regina. "They are mean when they need to be, and always fly in a nice formation. And unlike Eagles, they're not endangered at all."

"I suppose… You want a duck as your symbol?"

"Indeed."

"Fine, you're the duck. Diana, what do you have?"

"I found only the most majestic, and perfect creature in existence!" said Diana excitedly.

"And that is?"

"The platypus."

"What the heck is a platypus?"

"It's a mean creature with fur like a mammal, a duck bill and webbed feet, so it's perfect for swimming, and it's got fur that keeps it warm in the cold… and best of all it's got elbow poison!"

"What?"

"Elbow poison! Just get a little stab from the elbow, and even if you're lucky, you _only_ die."

"Uh… I'd hate to see what happens if you're unlucky. But whatever. Fine, you're the Platypus… Kayain?"

Kayain was still on the computer with a very strange face.

"Kayain? What's wrong."

Upon closer look he was trying to hold back laughing very hard.

"Kayain… what's so funny?"

"I…" he managed to say before letting everything out. "KnowwhatanimalIwant."

"Slow down, what are you saying?"

"Just come see."

Cherry went over to the computer and read what animal he was looking at.

"Oh, my. It's _actually_ named this?"

Kayain nodded.

"The Sperm Whale?"

Diana and Regina burst out laughing, but quickly turned it into coughs.

"Is there anything in particular you find interesting about this? Oh brother, why am I asking that?"

Kayain finally began to laugh hysterically.

"No you may not be the Sperm Whale."

"SHE SAID IT AGAIN!" laughed Kayain. "SPERM WHALE!"

"It's not _that_ funny… Well ok, maybe a little, but come on now."

The whole session went late into the night. What was finally decided for symbols was a Duck, Platypus, Octopus, Camel, Giraffe, and a Tree Frog.

"I'd have to say these are the most original symbols I've seen," said Cherry.

"I still think we should have gone with Dragons, wolves, and Lions," said Regina.

"Bah, I'm starting to like these much more," said Kayain.

"Sperm Whale," said Regina.

Kayain once again fell over in a fit of laughter.

-----------------------------------------

It was the evening before the Concert, and the Vigilantes had an all day practice session. The ladies were getting dresses ready for the Ball after.

"Which one do you like more?" asked Regina as she showed two dresses.

"The red one has a stain," said Cherry.

"What?! Where?"

"Right there."

"Crud… oh well."

Diana comes out of the bathroom with her breasts fully exposed.

"Regina, your dress is revealing!" she said.

Cherry slapped her forehead and said," Because it's _backwards_!"

"Oh… I thought it was shaped funny."

She sighs and says," Well at least you look very nice Ami."

"Thank you," said Ami.

"Danyel told me that you're going with someone," she said slyly. "Who are you going with?"

"Oh," she said as she turned bright red. "I was asked by Lord Daniel… I wouldn't have been going otherwise."

"LD? Really?" said Cherry curiously. "Huh… That's odd. Regina, you said you were going with someone too… I thought you were going with Lord Daniel."

Regina stops and says," Well, uh… I wasn't going to say till later but… Kayain."

"Oh," she said as she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "How… nice."

"Now wait a minute! Don't think of it that way! I'm only doing this because we both represent the CFTCB Foundation… And there's no way in hell I'm going with Proto or Talley… And he, uh, said you should go with Tylar, because he'd look sad, alone and dateless."

Even though she was very upset, she actually did consider this a moment.

"Go with Tylar?"

"Yea, that's what he said. He may not show it, but he does feel sorry for the guy sometimes. Just brotherly affection."

"All right…" she said grudgingly. "I suppose I'll ask him since this really does make him dateless."

"A date?" said Diana from the bathroom. "You're going to date Tylar?"

"You _know_ what I mean."

"Right."

Cherry sighs and says," I suppose it won't be _that_ bad."

Everyone stares at her for a moment, and she frowns.

"Ok," she said. "Regina, you help him find something to wear. I don't want him to show up in suspenders and wearing a bowtie… again."

"Will do sis."

At that moment, there was a knock at the door followed by Tylar's voice," Excuse me ladies, are you decent?"

"Yes," said Cherry. "Come in."

Tylar slowly opens the door and takes a peek inside. He pushes it open after he finds them fully dressed.

"My word, you all look lovely!"

"Why thank you," said Regina.

"Er, Captain," he said rending slightly. "You look radiant."

"Thank you Tylar."

"May, I, uh… may I have a word?"

Regina grinned and said," Going to take her all to yourself? Tell her she looks pretty while you're both all alone?"

"Shut up," said both Tylar and Cherry.

"Yes Tylar," said Cherry. "I had something I wanted to discuss with you as well."

The two of them went into Tylar's lab, and Tylar sat nervously on a chair across from Cherry.

"I say," he said. "This is rather embarrassing. I needed to ask you something important."

Tylar's thoughts were as loud as jackhammers, and she gave him a pitying look. She already knew what she had to tell him.

"I was… you know, going to, uh, ask, uh… oh darn… Oh going to… you know… ask… Ami to the ball and-"

"Tylar," said Cherry.

"Yes?"

"I'm afraid I have some bad news. You're too late."

"What?! Too late, what do you mean?"

"She's already been asked to the ball by Lord Daniel. Apparently he's taken a liking to her as well."

"I thought he liked Regina?"

"She's taken as well," she said bitterly.

"By who?! Certainly not Proto, or-"

"Kayain."

The dangerous look on her face told Tylar not to inquire further about that.

"So… that just leaves…"

"Me," said Cherry. "And I wanted to know if you'd come with me."

"You and I? On a date?"

She crosses her arms as she said," Is that what you think this is? A date? Tylar, this is a social event, not exactly a trip to the movies. I'd be going as your partner… dance partner."

"Oh, I see. Just a friendly social event… Well, can I at least get a dance with-"

"Yes."

"Oh, jolly good. Well I'd love to go with you then. I might've looked like some sad fellow, all alone and dateless."

"Same goes with me," said Cherry as she looks down. "So we'll go together so we don't look like losers, ok?"

"Right-o!"

-----------------------------------------

The next morning, everyone was busy getting their things ready for the concert. Cherry took charge and arbitrated everything.

"Be very careful with that," she said to Lu Bu as he carried two huge boxes. "That's Tylar's equipment. He's got our sound board and lights equipment in there."

She turned to Biggs and said," Now remember, you're in charge of all the paperwork and contracts."

"Righ' ye are cap'n," he said with a salute. "I'll also be needin' me negotiatin' tool; Lu Bu."

"He's all yours," she said.

She turned to see Kayain holding his guitar and said," Ugh, you're not taking _that_ are you?"

"Duh, I need a guitar."

"No, that nasty toy _on _the guitar."

Cherry was looking at the little teddy bear hanging on a keychain off his guitar.

"It's my good luck charm, my beloved Mr. Cuddles."

The thing was an amazing piece of work. It was nearly as old as Kayain was and it wasn't restored at all. Cherry thought it should probably be wrapped up in a biohazard bag and chucked out into space.

"Have you even washed it?"

"Na. It might fall apart."

"Oh, what a disaster that would be… Just do me a favor and wash your hands after handling it."

"Gotcha!"

Tylar came by and said," Have you got all my equipment?"

"Sure have," said Cherry. "With your help, we will give them a show like back home."

"Hell yea!" said Kayain. "We'll give em a show so good, even the kids gotta smoke a cigarette when we're done."

"My sentiments exactly," said Cherry.

"Well I wouldn't use those exact words," Tylar chuckled. "But it will be a damn good show if I do say so myself."

Cherry smiled and called everyone over.

"Ladies and gents, once again we are called to duty. Our mission is to blow people's minds with our music-"

"Beggin' yer pardon cap'n," said Biggs. "But would it be too much ter ask ifn' we can start this day wit a prayah?"

"Of course," she said. "But I'll start… O' eternal Creator, we ask that you give us the strength to destroy eardrums, and make them bleed in joy."

"Aye," continued Biggs. "O' Lord, give us the strength ter cut down the competition. If it be your will, then compared ter us, the other bands shall sound like dog shite… Give him praise and glory."

"And if it's not too much to ask Lord," continued Kayain. "Please let us find many women taking their tops off and throwing panties on stage."

"Halleluiah," said DeVall.

"Amen," said everyone else.

"Well, that was pleasant," said Danyel. "We ready to rock?"

Cherry nodded and said," Let's rock."

-----------------------------------------

Lord Daniel finished his chat with Ian Albright, one of the biggest names in music management. Ian was the most looked to and sought after manager in several countries. But he had a fondness for Paragon City, in the fact that there was talent just around any corner.

His only problem as of late was that people had talent, but nothing spectacular. Life had become very dull and dry, and he just wasn't listening to the music anymore. No one had the same talent as oh so long ago when he was younger. It was the whole reason he got into the business.

"So," said Ian. "What are these new guys called?"

"Ah, I had a chat with them a while ago, they're sticking with the name, The Vigilantes

"Daniel my man… I _told_ you I already booked "The Vigilantes". We can't have two people with the same name! My man, you need to talk to these guys again and tell them to change their name because we already have The Vigilantes. Hell, I had to pull a lot of strings to get them here, my man. Like pop stars they are! People might get upset at this."

Lord Daniel put his hands together and said," I know, I know… But I have this strange feeling about these new guys. I think… I really think that they really _are_ The Vigilantes."

Ian gave him a calculating look. He said," Bah. No one knows where that music came from. We have icons now, and that's all there is to it. I mean come on my man, if these people were the original creators, there's no way they could prove it."

"I'm just saying that it's a possibility. If they are the creators of the music, then we might have a law suit on hands."

"Let them try," Ian said with a smile. "They've never dealt with the likes of Ian Albright before."

"I'll talk to them again," said Lord Daniel. "I doubt they'll change their minds. They're all very stubborn."

"Make sure you do, my man," he said as his cell phone rang. "Having to avoid an incident altogether is much easier, ya dig?"

"Yea I will… Oh, here they come now!"

Cherry came toting her guitar in it's case. She shook Lord Daniel's hand and said," We're just now getting our stuff set up… So, we're on first?"

"Yea," said Lord Daniel. "That's just how it was set up."

"So who's the main event?"

"Uh… Remember our conversation? The Vigilantes are."

"I see… Where are these so called Vigilantes then?"

"They're just getting here, I'm told. I think they're heading for the back area. That has a lot of refreshments."

"Well then," said Cherry with a smile. "I'll just have to go and say hi now won't I?"

"Please Cherry," said Lord Daniel as he put his hands together. "Please change your name just this once. We might just start an incident here that no one wants."

"Oh, contraire. I _do_ indeed want an incident. From the moment Kayain told me that our music was here in this world, and someone else was pretending to play it… Well, I'm here to collect."

"I was afraid you'd say that."

"I tell you what," said Cherry with a pleasant smile. "We'll go up as a no-name band, for the time being, then we'll introduce ourselves. And as far as you not getting in trouble, I'll say I mind controlled you."

"Really?"

"I could _really_ do it if you want."

"No, that's ok. Just whatever you're planning, I don't want any part of it, ok?"

"That's fine."

"And whatever you do, don't destroy my concert completely, please!"

"Never planned on it. But I can guarantee you some damn good fireworks in the meantime."

-----------------------------------------

In the meantime, Tylar was already getting the equipment set up on stage.

"Oi," said the stage lead as Tylar threw down six large blocks. "Was all this then?"

"No need to worry gents," said Tylar. "My stage hands have this covered. Please just stand clear."

The cubes instantly transformed into Tylar's cleaning/battle bots.

"You can't bring those 'ere! They'll ruin the stage!"

"Just watch my good man," said Tylar as he pressed a few buttons on his wristwatch.

Instantly the bots sprung into action, and began to set up the stage equipment as the stage workers all ran out of the way.

"Jenkins," said Tylar to the largest bot. "Let's run a checklist, shall we?"

"Indeed sir," said the robot in a snooty, yet synthesized, British accent. "One Titantron, five camera drones, particle generator, pyrotechnic generator, light and laser spectrum set, audio speakers, instruments, all plug in devices, background and border decorative, and everything is remotely set to your default settings."

"Thank you Jenkins," said Tylar as he looked to the stage lead. "I hope this won't be a problem that we brought a few things now will it?"

"Eh… Not that I see really… Just make sure you clear this lot off once you're done 'eh?"

"Not a problem at all. Tell your boys to take a break for this one, I've got it covered."

"Oi, boys! Clear off for this one! This bloke's got his robots to do the work."

The men weren't about to object. There was way to many bands going on, and it was going to be busy all day.

"Is there anythin' else you'll be needin'?" he asked.

"No, that's it, thank you," said Tylar politely. "Jenkins, by the look of this area, use the same settings in setup as concert X-4913B."

"It shall be done sir," said the robot.

The stage lead walked off smiling to himself. All the equipment they brought was very fancy and high-tech looking. It was something that a lot of high paying bands use for a truly spectacular concert. He would know, because he's been to them all of his life.

In his mind, the only group that would top this is The Vigilantes.

-----------------------------------------

"What fresh hell is this?" said Cherry.

"This is kind of freaking me out here," said Kayain.

"I'm very intrigued in a creepy kind of way," said Danyel as he wiped his glasses.

"This is just… Well I don't know what… Evil?" said Diana.

"Anyone ever watch that late night show,_ The Twilight Zone_? Yea, this is it," said Regina.

The five of them went in to the area where the bands were gathered for some refreshments and relaxing before the show. Through many of the bands and managers, the other Vigilantes were not hard to find.

There was a tall, thin, blond guy with spiky hair. Next to him was a shorter girl, with bobbed black hair and red bangs in the front. They also noted her two colored eyes, one green, one silver. Opposite them was a tall brunette woman, in the arms of a man with glasses, and unruly black hair. Staring back at them was a very attractive red-head, with tan skin.

"Whoa," said the blonde man to Kayain. "Dig that outfit dude. Like, totally kickin' dude."

"Uh," said Kayain. "Thanks… Dude…"

"Name's Kayain," he said. "We're the Vigilantes, what band are you guys?"

"Name's Kayain," said Kayain. "We're the Vigilantes."

The other group laughed at this.

"Word, yo," said the other Kayain.

"They're probably a bit nervous," said the other Cherry. "Is this your first time? I haven't seen you guys around before."

"No," said Cherry. "We've played plenty of times… We're foreign."

"Oh! What country do you guys hail from?"

"Matronia."

"Like, where's that?" said the other Diana. "That sounds, like, totally exotic."

"Very, very far away," said Diana. "Light-years in fact."

"Oh, so it's in Europe or something?" said the other Regina.

"Well I gotta say," said the other Danyel. "You guys sure speak English well for being from Europe."

"English?" said Cherry. "Is that what you call it? We just call it Galactic Standard."

Again the look-alikes laughed.

"Heh, you guys are funny," said the other Diana.

"Sure," said Regina. "Hey we gotta go now."

"Word, yo," said the other Kayain as he made some kind of sign with his fingers. "Yo, good meeting you guys, maybe we'll come check out your performance. When do you go on?"

"First," said Danyel.

"Excellent," said the other Danyel. "You guys got the important job of gettin' the crowd all fired up, ya know?"

"Most righteous," said the other Regina. "Don't forget to come back here once you're done. We'll party it up."

"Most excellently," said the other Danyel.

"Yea," said Regina. "All right, you guys take care now… You know, uh, kick it, and whatnot, most excellently, like totally, yo…"

"Word," said Kayain.

The five of them walked away in stunned silence.

"I… Couldn't say anything. It was way to weird," said Danyel.

"Nor I," said Cherry. "Talk about awkward."

"Word, yo," laughed Kayain. "Word! Ha! Oh man, that's funny."

"Kayain, please stop saying that," said Cherry.

"Gosh, I don't know what came over me," said Diana.

"Like totally," teased Kayain.

"Hey, speaking of awkward," said Regina as she made a strange face. "Don't look now but-"

They looked.

"Geeze, I say don't look and you go and do it," said Regina.

The other Kayain and other Cherry were both in the chair making out as if there were no tomorrow. The real Kayain and Cherry both stared in horror.

Danyel laughed out loud and said," Hey, look at that! Getting any ideas you two?"

"Shut up Danyel!" said Kayain and Cherry at the same time.

"Oh, man," laughed Regina. "Hey you two, you're not going to let them show off like that are you? Come on, show them how it's _really_ done."

"Shut up Regina!" they said again.

They finally turned away, and Kayain said," Naw… That 'ain't right… That's just… Naw…"

"Yea I know!" said Cherry. "I mean, that's just… Crazy. I would never… You would never… We couldn't…"

"Oh my! Are you two blushing?" said Diana with a large grin.

"No!" they both said.

"I don't know," said Regina. "I think they kind of like it…"

"No we don't!" they said.

"You see that? They even think the same thing. They're definitely synchronized lovers."

"SHUT UP DANYEL!" they said once again in unison.

"Alright, alright," said Regina. "We'll lay off… But I'm going to remember this forever."

"Can we let this drop now?!" said Cherry as she hurried to the exit.

"Of course," said Danyel.

"No more mentioning it, got that?"

"Sure thing."

"Not a single thing!"

"Uh, hua."

"So wipe that smirk off your face!"

"Can't," he said as he tried to stop laughing. "I think it's stuck."

Cherry storms off with her fists clenched. Kayain seems to be glued to the spot.

"Well, uh, this was interesting, hua guys? Hey I'm going to go check out, you know, the stage and stuff…"

"You sure you're not going to the back to go make out with Cherry?" said Diana. "Oh high five, I'm so clever!"

Kayain grimaces and walks out.

"I have to admit, that's a pretty scary sight," said Danyel. "Kayain and Cherry… Making out like bandits."

"Hell would need to turn up their thermostat," said Regina.

-----------------------------------------

"It's getting packed out there," said DeVall as he peeked out the curtains to see the stage.

"Awesome!" said Diana. "Hey little bro, you got all the stuff setup?"

"Indubitably," said Tylar. "I've even taken the liberty to set up the night-generator since it's only mid-day here."

"Oh, neat!" said Diana.

Tylar's very own simulated darkness effect was popular for concerts during the day. It made the area black out as if it were true nighttime.

"Good job Tylar," said Cherry. "Here comes Lord Daniel. He'll be introducing us. You guys all ready to rock?"

"Hell yea!" said Kayain. "I was born ready, you know that."

"Ready to kick some ass," said Danyel.

"Let's go have some fun!" said Diana.

"Sperm Whale," said Regina, making Kayain topple over laughing.

"Regina! That's enough already!" said Cherry.

"I thought it was funny."

"Shh, he's talking," said Danyel.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," said Lord Daniel on stage. "It is my esteemed honor to welcome you all to the 5th annual Paragon Charity Concert-"

"Bah," said Kayain. "Who cares about that, just introduce us already!"

"Kayain hush!" said Cherry.

"First they make out, now they're fighting again," said Diana quietly.

"What did you say?!" demanded Cherry.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" said Diana with a grin.

"-And so let the festivities begin!" said Lord Daniel. "For your entertainment, let me introduce the opening act of today's concert. Please put your hands together for-" he hesitated as he thought of something to say. "The foreign band 'The Vigilantes'."

There was a mild cheering from the crowd. No one had ever heard of a foreign band also named the Vigilantes.

"That's our cue!" said Cherry.

When they went on stage, some people looked curiously at them. Not only did they have the same name, but they actually _looked_ like their idols.

Kayain immediately took the mic and said," Thank you Dan, and thank _you_ Paragon City! For those of you who don't know who we are… Well I can tell you that we are _The_ one and only Vigilantes!"

"The one and only?" said Lord Daniel. "What does that mean?"

"Well Dan, oh so long ago we made our albums such as _Quasar, Hiatus, Velocity, _and _Entropy_. We spread our music far and wide throughout the galaxy, even the reaches of Paragon City!"

Some people stared at them as if he was crazy, some were intreagued.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," said Lord Daniel. "It's a known fact that these guys are not from this world, like many of the heroes today aren't."

"You got that damn right! We _are_ the Vigilantes! And this is our music! And tonight… We will prove it. We will prove that the other people you've been listening to, are complete phonies. We will blow your minds, and rock crotches! Tonight will be a night of asskicking!"

"This is news to me!" said Lord Daniel in mock surprise. "Ladies and Gentlemen, could this be true? Could it be that the Vigilantes you've seen before are imposters? Could it be that these people you see before you are the real makers of the music? Tonight, you will be the judge!"

"That's right folks," said Kayain. "We are calling them out! There can only be one, and it will be us!"

"So without further ado," said Lord Daniel. "Show us what you got Vigilantes!"

Daniel stepped off stage, and Kayain said," What's all this now? I wanna hear some _noise_!"

The audience did not respond. Kayain shook his head and said," People… I seem to have gone deaf! I can't hear a ga-damn thing! I _said_, make some FREAKING NOISE!"

Kayain and Cherry let out a chord from their guitars. The chord struck, and rang out across the fields, silencing the masses. It was a hauntingly beautiful note, and most of them here would not soon forget it. The simple chord was enough to keep everyone's eyes forward.

The chord signaled for the special effects. The entire area went dark as if it were night, and became starry. All around them was the depths of outer space. The effects made the audience believe they were actually out there, traveling.

The chord stopped, and the audience cheered.

"That's more like it!" said Kayain. "We _are_ the Vigilantes!"

-----------------------------------------

"Whoa…" said a band member who was right behind the stage. "Look at that!"

"Dude!" said the second band member. "These guys are good!"

"Yea," said a third member. "Check out those effects! Talk about surreal! Haven't seen things like that since we played back in College!"

"Hey man," said the second. "We've never had effects like that. You were just on drugs a lot."

"I'm clean now…"

"Yea, yea… Say… who's that guitar chick?" asked the first.

"I don't know," said the third. "But she's… beautiful…"

"Dude!" said the third. "Aren't you married?"

"I am but… You know… she said she's open minded…"

Cherry struck a high note, which made him say," I'M SINGLE!"

This was a common symptom of listening to The Vigilante's music. Everyone who ever heard them live would say they are even better live then on disc. No one could ever figure out why.

The truth of it was, Cherry and the rest of the crew played music so often, they took it to epic proportions. They weren't just playing music anymore, they were creating 'the music'. The music had a life of it's own, and effected everyone differently.

When Cherry played the music, she pours everything she has into it. Her heart, and soul go into it, which also means her powers do.

The effect of Cherry's power creates a sort of hypnotic effect that keeps people wanting more. The effect makes people feel the love she has for the music. For the men, she's inadvertently make them love her back in the same way. The men would give her more attention then even Regina or Diana. The women however would feel the love for the music, and the music in turn would bring out their wild side.

"Oh no!" said their manager. "This has got to stop!"

"Why boss?" said the third.

"Ian Albright is why! He happens to be a close friend of mine! If these upstarts keep telling people about the Vigilantes, Ian's reputation is ruined!"

"Tell the people about what?"

"I thought I told you already! No one knows the _real_ creators of those songs are, so Ian gave the rights to the singers in the back!"

"Oh yea, now I remember! And boss?"

"What?"

"If you're so concerned, then why's your foot tapping?"

The manager looks down and hastily stomps on his foot. "Just a reflex… heh."

"I don't know boss," said the first. "Stopping the music doesn't seem right. We might get my littl' honey there mad."

"She's not yours! She's mine!" said the second.

"Like hell! She'd never go for you! She wants a _single_ guy like me!" said the third.

"Stop it! Stop it! You boys are acting like a bunch of children! Help me find Ian!" he said as they split up.

"Besides," he said quietly. "She's mine."

-----------------------------------------

"I say," said Ami. "I'm glad I decided to come. And thank you again for inviting me, Lord Daniel."

"Yea…"

"It's just wonderful to get out of the lab every once and a while."

"Yea…"

"It can get dreadfully dull and-"

"Yea…"

"Are you listening to me?"

"Yea…"

"What is your name?"

"Yea… I should have asked Cherry out to the ball…"

"WHAT?!"

"Yea- Er, what? Uh-oh… I-I don't know what came over me!"

Ami was about to tell him off, instead said," Oh my! I completely forgot! You need these special earplugs like I'm wearing to block out the secondary effects."

She handed the earplugs to him, and he said," What was going on there?"

"It's hard to explain, but if you hear their music, it has an effect on you… you weren't aware of what you were doing."

"Oh! Uh, yea! Wasn't… aware."

The reality was that he was fully aware, and seriously meant it.

"This is kind of weird though," he continued. "Is it harmful?"

"Depends. Did you feel any urges just now?"

"Yea, I felt an urge to take a stage dive… That hasn't happened since high school."

"Well it brings out the concert-going side of you. It's harmful in the sense that if you might feel the urge to stage dive, mosh-pit, or headbang… if you consider that harmful."

"Oh… how come it doesn't effect them?" he asked as he pointed to the rest of the Vigilantes.

"It does," said Biggs. "But we jus' don' care."

"I miss my winky," said Lu Bu. "The music is the closest thing to getting laid I'll ever have."

"We live for the concerts," said DeVall. "We've been to so many we can resist the effects… however we choose not to for obvious reasons."

"Aye," he said looking back. "Cap'ns pretty good… makes me wish I were a few feet taller, ifn' ya catch me drift… heh, heh."

"Yes," said DeVall. "Cherry's definitely… Good."

"Ah," said Solo. "You pervert, I see you undressing her with your eyes."

"You were earlier."

"That's not the point!"

-----------------------------------------

"Ugh," said Adagio as the Ages Sect entered the concert. "They've started already. We're late on pelting them."

"The witch has her spell on everyone already," said Eva. "Don't say anything bad about them yet, or there _will_ be murder."

"Yea," said Quest with a strange grin.

"Questy?" said Eva. "Is something wrong?"

"Humm? Oh, no, nothing at all."

Eva eyed him suspiciously, and realized he wasn't wearing the earplugs.

"What are you _doing_?! You're not wearing the earplugs!"

"Don't worry about it! I'm pretty much immune to the effects."

"You can't be! The effects can only be stopped by mind barriers, which I have not taught any of you."

"You get used to it after a while… really."

"Well I'm saying you can't! It's just not- HEY!"

Quest began to blush slightly, as he instantly figured out what Eva was getting upset about. Being the psion of the team, she can also pick up thoughts easily.

"I _saw_ that! You were imagining what sex with Cherry would be like!"

"Yea… I…" he said as he tried to recompose himself. "Temporary laps of judgment and… well… I'll get my earplugs…"

-----------------------------------------

"I don't care if it's bad traffic," said Ian Albright on his cell phone. "My man, If you don't get here soon, you're off the list… Uh-hua… I realize that heroes fighting in the streets can hold up traffic, but even then, knowing that you _still_ didn't take the necessary preparations to get here early? You had enough time… Oh I really don't care how hung over the driver is. SOMEONE can drive a bus can't they?"

Ian looked up to see a voluptuous blonde woman pull up in a red Ferrari. He stepped out of the doorway and into the back area.

"Just get here as soon as you can," he continued. "If anything we can compromise and schedule you for later… I know… Look, I have to run. Ciao."

The woman waited patiently next to him as he hung up. He smiled and embraced her.

"What kept you?" he asked.

"Same as usual," she said. "Heroes fighting in the streets."

"Gotta love this town."

"Oh I sure do. Has my stuff arrived?"

"Yes it has, and you'll be going on after the 3rd band."

"Sounds good."

"Hey boss," they heard someone call from inside. "Boss! Oh, hello Miss Jane."

"Hi yourself Greg," said Jane.

"Boss," continued Greg. "Got a question for you."

"Shoot, my man."

"Have you ever been to a concert where the opening act completely blew everyone away? I mean to the point where everything else is crap in comparison?"

"Very few times… Greg? Are you trying to say what I think you're saying?"

"Yea boss, these new guys are dominating. I think you'd better see this… They've also claimed to be the 'real' Vigilantes."

"It's _them_? Oh man. This is _not_ happening today…"

"Come on boss, I'll show you."

-----------------------------------------

Proto-man nearly collided with Lu Bu as he ran as fast as he could to catch up.

"Sorry I'm late. Was fighting a few baddies in the street," he said before he caught a glimpse of the stage. "WHOA! But, what did I miss?!"

"Take a look fer yerself," said Biggs.

"Holy crap! Look at all those bras and panties!"

"Even better," said DeVall. "They're all going nuts out there. Take a look."

Even though it was a family oriented concert, the children and adults were going as wild as a metal concert. Besides the undergarments thrown on stage, there was people in professional business attire, taking jumps off stage, children running around painted, completely naked, and mosh-pitting, as well as some very awkward slam dancing from women who are usually soccer-moms.

"I missed a lot!" said Proto excitedly. "And… and… oh the music… Oh…"

"You like it eh?" said DeVall.

"Holy crap! It's like an orgy in my head!"

"My sentiments exactly."

"Oh man," said Proto as he stared at Cherry. "If she can do this while playing music… Imagine how she is in the sack!"

"Proto!" said Ami. "Don't say things like that!"

"I LOVE CHERRY!" he yelled out. "I WANT TO HAVE HER BABIES!"

"Ugh! You're disgusting! I give up…"

"Excuse me, coming through!" they heard someone say from behind.

Ami immediately assumed this person was a manager when she looked at him. The ponytail was a dead giveaway.

"Make way!" he repeated.

At this point, the Vigilantes all turned to face him. Lu Bu said," This is our spot. You can't have it. Go to the other side."

Ian wasn't about to upset the gigantic Orc in front of him, especially not when he had a huge axe in tow.

"Look," he said. "I'm Ian Albright. This has got to stop! They're ruining the show!"

"Don' look like it ter me," said Biggs. "Ian Albrigh' ya say? Are ye the manager fer the supposed Vigilantes?"

"I am! And who are you?"

"Heh, I'm the manager fer the _real_ Vigilantes. An' it seems we have some business ter discuss."

"We don't have _any_ business to discuss! We- Jane! What are you doing?!"

Miss Jane was lifting her shirt off, and stopped before she lifted too high.

"I'm sorry," she said while shaking her head. "I don't know what came over me! I haven't done anything like that since high school…"

"Well stop it! This isn't- Oh not you too!"

The look-alikes were headbanging and some were playing the air-guitar.

"Hey man," said the look-alike Kayain. "This is our music!"

"And it's better then how we play it!" said the look-alike Cherry.

"Like totally!" said the look-alike Diana. "It's like, 10 times better!"

"Shut up will you?!" said Ian. "Who's controlling the effects?! I went to the stage heads and they said they weren't powering this at all?"

"Ah, tha' would be our own stage hand," said Biggs. "Tylar over there. Ya have ter talk to 'em ifn ya want the effects off… Ye'd be a brave soul though, considerin…"

Ian regarded the man Biggs pointed to. He was in the middle of a big pack of robots, each equipped with some gun or another.

"Ah… No. No, I think I'll put a stop to this myself-"

"Ian hon," said Miss Jane. "Your foot's been taping non-stop since we got here."

"Has it? Oh. Well… More a reason to make it stop."

"This is me last warnin'," said Biggs. "Don' step out there unless ya really want ter look a fool."

"Out of my way!"

After he left with the look-alikes in tow, Biggs looked around and said," Everyone see me try an' stop 'em? Yea? Good. Not me fault ifn he gets killed."

-----------------------------------------

No one in the audience had ever experienced anything like this before. The music filled them with so much emotion, they felt they could do anything. People who were usually shy and introverted wanted to sing along at the top of their lungs. People who were the opposite felt a joy inside as if it were Christmas every day.

They didn't want the music to go away. It would mean that everyone would have to go back to being the way they were before. And no one wanted that, because it seemed so boring in comparison.

But suddenly and abruptly, the music stopped. The wonderful feelings were gone, and everything along with it. The people wanted to know why it stopped.

On stage was a man along with a few other people, cutting off the music. There was now going to be hell to pay for this.

"Stop this right now!" said Ian. "This is _our_ music! You people cannot take that away from us!"

The audience grew angry and began pelting Ian with whatever they could find.

"No! Wait! These are the Vigilantes! Here!" he said while trying to fend off the incoming trash.

"Don't get us involved in this!" said the look-alike Kayain also ducking the objects.

"Tell them!" said Ian as he handed the mic to the look-alike Kayain. "Tell them you're the real deal!"

"Well, I…"

"Yes," said Kayain as he stared into the eyes of his look-alike. "Go ahead and tell them you're me. I dare you."

The look alike buckled under his stare and handed the mic to the look-alike Danyel.

"I'm not gonna do that! You do that!" he said as he handed it to the look-alike Cherry.

"No! No! I'm not going to! You do it!" she said as she thrust it at the look-alike Diana.

"I… I… I… I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE!" she said. Between the pressure of the audience who looked murderous and the other group staring them down, she fell to her knees and said," It's all a LIE! We're lip-synching! It's a sham! We aren't very good at playing music!"

"DIANA!" yelled Ian. "Shut up! You're going to-"

At this point he couldn't even hear his own voice over the roar of boos that followed.

"You people!" he tried to say as he held out his arms. "You've got to believe me! We only want-"

But it was too late. The audience stormed the stage and grabbed him and the look alikes, and carried them all above their heads. The audience let out a cheer as they carried Ian and the terrified look-alikes to the back area.

Cherry shot a look to the rest of the crew and they smiled and nodded. She plucked a chord which silenced the masses instantly. She said on the mic," People. I know you feel upset at being deceived. But please, let _us_ deal with them. Please. Bring them back here."

Reluctantly, the audience shoved them back on stage.

Cherry smiled at them and said," Thank you."

She calmly walked to Ian and said," You sir, tell us. Tell us what was behind all this?"

Ian gave her a look of loathing. This humiliation was not going to be forgotten easily. He took the mic and said," I suppose there's no denying it. Yes, these people here aren't the Vigilantes. Truth be told, we found the music somewhere online, and no one claimed it."

"So," continued Cherry. "You took the rights to it since no one else did?"

"No one in the whole world did! All I needed was a band to go with it. And we would lip-synch for the live shows."

Again, a series of boos followed.

"Oh come on!" said Ian. "It's not the first time this has happened! Look at the majority of Pop-stars! You know what I'm talking about! Anyway, the music turned out to be even more popular then we imagined."

"I see," said Cherry. "It was a nice little profit for you and everyone else wasn't it?"

"Music, TV shows, the whole 9 yards. You name it."

"I'm sure it was very lucrative. Listen mister Albright. I'm sure we can work something out. I really would like to get what's owed to us."

"Yes," he said as he straightened his tie. "You will get what's owed…"

"Good. I'm glad you can see things my way. Please talk to our manager Biggs on the way out."

Ian nodded and cast one last look over his shoulder at them, then stormed off.

"Hey," said the look-alike Kayain. "What about us?"

"You people will never again impersonate us, and go back to your real names, hair color, and style. As of now, your concert time slot is canceled, giving all the bands a bit more time."

"Thanks," said the look-alike Cherry. "And, uh… we're really sorry."

Cherry shook her head and said," You needn't be too sorry to us, you were just being used as puppets. Who you should really be sorry to is the fans."

They looked to the audience, who gave them a mixed reaction.

"You'll have to work on that one," said Cherry as she checked her watch. "Oh and it seems we still have time for a few more songs!"

The audience let out a deafening cheer. Kayain and Cherry began the song again where they left off.

-----------------------------------------

Backstage, the Freakshow members were sitting down on a bench, dressed in robes, smoking cigarettes, looking exhausted. They had seen the whole concert by the Vigilantes backstage, and were wanting more.

"That," said Helter. "Was better then sex."

"Maybe," said another. "It's been too long for you hasn't it?"

"Shut up."

"Can we take these damn things off?" asked another freak member. "I'm sweating my ass off in here."

"Unless you want the cops to get you," said Helter. "We're not welcome here. 'S why we're posed as hooded hero-types."

"Yea," said the first. "Hey man, are we going to get those Vigilantes or what?"

"Hell yea!" said Helter. "Just gotta go up and 'ask' them to."

"Cool… who'll do the asking?"

"You will."

"I can't! No way!"

"Yes way."

"I'm… too nervous."

"_Too nervous_?!"

The freak member looked down in embarrassment. He said," Because… _she'll _be there…"

"The short girl? Oh yea… Her…" he said with a large smile.

"There's no way I could… approach her…"

"You guys kiddin' me?" said Helter. "Come on, we'll all go then, since you're all to wussy to do it yourselves."

"Think I could get an autograph too?"

-----------------------------------------

"You guys were… Oh man! You guys were unbelievable!" said the look-alike Danyel.

"How did you guys do it? How long have you been playing?" said the look-alike Cherry.

"You wouldn't believe it," said Cherry.

The Vigilantes and the look-alikes sat backstage with several other bands that had heard them playing on stage. At the moment they were the center of attention.

"Let me ask you," said Regina. "What are your real names?"

"Oh," said the look alike Cherry. "I'm Genevieve."

Look alike Kayain said," Word. I'm Robert."

Look alike Danyel said," Yo, I'm Frank."

Look alike Diana said," Olivia. Nice to meet you."

And Look alike Regina said," Hi, I'm Cindy."

"Ah," said Regina. "Well you already know our names."

"Hey," asked someone from another band. "When we heard your music, it was completely awesome. How did you get those weird effects… you know, in my head?"

"I can answer that," said Cherry. "It's about 20 me, and 80 of the drugs you're on."

"Uh," he said looking around nervously. "Drugs? Uh, what are you talking about?"

"When I play music," said Cherry. "My own ability kicks in, and you begin to feel a big nostalgic, or even joyful. Is that what you mean?"

"Yea, that's it."

"So you're a super then?" asked Robert.

"I have Psionic abilities if that's what you mean," said Cherry.

"Whoa," said Olivia. "That is _sooo_ cool!"

Proto-man came running in and said," There you guys are! Whoa! Look at all the beer!"

"Help yourself," said Kayain.

"Damn straight I will! And-" he stopped as he looked at Cherry. "My love! There you are!"

He knelt beside her and said," Marry me!"

"And here's another unusual side effect," said Cherry. "Love. Well it _feels_ like you're in love, but it will go away shortly after."

"Please?" he continued.

"Of course for the weak-minded it lasts longer."

"That's right," said Frank. "I did feel a little… attracted to you during the performance."

"I think we all did," said Robert. He looked at Danyel and said," Hey, how do you guys resist it?"

"Mental training," said Danyel.

"Ear plugs," said Diana.

"I'm a psion too. I know how to block it," said Regina.

Kayain shrugged and said," I don't know. Don't need the earplugs, or mental training. It just doesn't work on me."

"Yea, I always thought that was kind of weird," said Danyel. "Only mental training can prevent such effects… And Kayain is anything but that…"

"Hey!" said Kayain.

"We still don't know why," said Cherry with a slight blush. "I have a few theories though… I'm not going to say right now."

"Cap'n!" called Biggs. "Negotiations' are goin' well. We should be bringin' in the big bucks soon! O' course, none of the currency here can be traded' fer galactic currency, but what the hell, eh?"

"Indeed," said Cherry. "We can still use it here, and that's what's important at the moment. See that our negotiations go well Biggs. I trust you. We're going to leave soon to get ready for the ball."

"Righ' ye are Cap'n," said Biggs with a salute. "An' by the way Cap'n… I caugh' wind of the Ages Sect backstage."

"I'm aware of that, thank you."

Biggs nodded, and left the area with Lu Bu in tow. Cherry turned to Danyel and said," Are you ready?"

Danyel nodded. She continued," In that case, I'm sorry everyone, but we need to leave."

Everyone groaned in disappointment. Kayain said," Hey, don't worry about it, you'll get to see us again." He turned to the look-alikes and added," And you guys, stay out of trouble."

"Word," said Robert.

As they left, Kayain said," Hey, babe, got a question."

"Yes?" asked Cherry.

"If we're getting our money back, does that mean we're going to take it from the look-alikes?"

"Ha! You'd be lucky to get a penny out of them!"

"Why's that?"

"I read their minds. They're your typical, fast-paced, stylish, rock stars. 2 of them are in debit, and the others are barely hanging on to their high-profile lifestyle. Too many overpriced and unnecessary cars, televisions, houses, and all the works in it… Not to mention the overpriced clothes they wear. It's not sensible. They just don't know how to handle money. I'd say the most expensive thing we'd get from them is their two hundred dollar shirts."

"Humph," said Kayain. "I always wondered what it was like to have dumb for brains like they do."

"Don't wonder too hard now," said Cherry with a smile.

-----------------------------------------

Ian Albright walked down the corridor, grumbling and muttering to himself. He was getting calls like crazy from everyone who saw the performance live on TV. Some people were upset that he was caught with actors who were lip synching, and some just wanted to make jokes at him.

There was going to be serious fallout all around for this. His reputation as an honest, talent finding manager was ruined for harboring lip synchers. And it would take a long time to undo that.

He was mostly upset at the way it was done. Getting the audience on their side, and trying to railroad him out on national television was only the beginning. Next would come the attack from the press. Oh the entertainment media was going to have a field day on this.

He couldn't think of anything to do at the moment. Nothing came to mind to drive off this bad situation.

"Hey!" he heard someone call out. "Hey you! I wanna talk to you."

"No interviews," snapped Ian. "I'm not answering any questions!"

He turned around and was face to face with a man with pale white hair, and a very smug look on his face. He said," You misunderstand me. I saw what happened out there, and I came to offer you a chance to get back at those loathsome Vigilantes."

Ian regarded him for a moment and said," Get back at them? How would you do that… Wait, more importantly, who are you?"

"Quest Xanthe," he said. "My group, the Ages Sect, feel the need to put them in their place wherever they go. If you've heard they're offworlders, then you should know we are as well… And let me tell you this, not even their own country likes them."

"And I suppose you know a lot about these Vigilantes do you?"

"Very much so," said Quest as he brushed his hair back. "The question is; are you willing to cooperate with me so we can both benefit?"

Ian took a while to consider this. He was a bit skeptical to trust strangers in something as delicate as this.

"What do you know that will help me?"

Quest smiled and said," Please. Let's take a stroll down there shall we?"

-----------------------------------------

Helter and the freaks waited outside and kept a sharp eye on who was going in and out. The Vigilantes were bound to come out this way because the majority of the tour busses were out here.

"Hey man," said one of Freaks. "You think while we're here we can snag a few band members to get their autographs?"

"Not yet," said Helter. "We gotta get our target first."

"But this waiting crap is boring! I wanna go start some trouble! Hey look over there, a few Tsoo guys walking in the street, let's go harass them!"

"Over there," said another Freak member as he pointed to a band's tour bus. "Those guys suck. Their music went from heavy to emo shit! Let's rip their fingers off!"

"No! We will miss our opportunity!"

"Come on! Ok, let's flatten a few tires-"

"Shut up! They're coming!"

Helter and the others readied themselves between the parked tour busses. The Vigilantes came walking down the parking lot, passing up the busses.

When they walked by their area, the freaks jumped out and Helter said," HA! We got you now!"

The Vigilantes looked un-phased by this. The small lady stepped forward and said," You certainly do. Autographs?"

The Freak on the left smiled stupidly and said," Yes…"

"NO!" said Helter as he took off the robe he was wearing. "We're the Freakshow! And we're here to take you in! Your next concert will be at our Freaklympics award ceremony! And you're coming with us whether you like it or not!"

The woman still displayed no emotion as he said this. She turned her head slightly and said," Freaklympics?"

"It's our big gathering of the freaks. It's going to be hell on Paragon City on that day. Every Freak in town is gonna compete to cause the most destruction! And you guys are coming to play at our award ceremony!"

The taller, blonde man looked to her and spoke to her in a language the Freaks had never heard of. But this isn't saying much, considering how uncultured any of them were. The closest to a different language they knew of is Ebonics.

"_What are you thinking?_" said Kayain in Matronian language.

"_Same thing you are,_" said Cherry. "_This might be an opportunity. They don't seem to know we have powers. Let's keep it that way. This might be worth looking into._"

"_I say we do whatever they say,_" said Danyel. "_They could lead us to something much bigger if we follow them_."

"_Agreed_," said Cherry.

"Freakshow was it?" said Cherry in English. "We're big fans. You guys have to have tough stuff to be part of that group."

"Yer damn right!" said Helter.

"And," said Cherry as she made a gesture to Diana and Regina. "You don't have to worry, we'll play at your little concert. For free, and willingly."

Helter looked at them skeptically a moment, while the other freaks smiled stupidly at the three women in front.

"Willingly… No one comes willingly."

"Really?" said Cherry as she playfully patted his armored chest. "You seem to have a bad reputation around here. But then again, so do we. We like to consider ourselves outside the law… Anarchists sometimes."

The freaks all had their tongues out, smiling raucously at the women. Cherry leaned playfully on Helter's side and said," I promise you a much better show if you let us come on our own. We can even bring all of our special equipment."

Before Helter was a Freakshow, he was always considered a loner. Particurlarly because he was not good at all with the ladies. This little woman was probably the first in his life to ever be so forward with him. Helter simply did not know how to react.

"Err… well…" he managed.

"Please?" she said playfully twirling her finger on his arm-blade.

"Go boss!" cheered one of the Freaks.

"Score!" said another.

"Shut up!" said Helter, embarrassed. "I've made up my mind. Yes, you can come… just please step away…"

"Thank you," said Cherry as she pushed away. "Where and when is it?"

"The Carnival, at Crey's Folly… Meet me there. 8pm this coming Tuesday…"

Cherry took a pen from her pocket and wrote her phone number on his arm-blade. She then kissed her finger and pressed it on the number.

"Call me," she said with a wink.

Helter stood there, too dumbfounded to talk. Instead his Freak friends hooted and hollered for him.

The girls rejoined the guys and they continued on their way. Helter stood still, just staring at the phone number in silence.

"Boss? You ok?" said one Freak.

"Yo, Helter? Hello? Helter? Wake up!" said another.

It took a few minutes, but Helter finally took his eyes off the number and looked around. Everyone waited for his reaction.

Helter blinked, then smiled.

"YAAAAAAHOOOOO!" he yelled out. "I've got her NUMBER! This is the greatest thing that's ever happened!"

-----------------------------------------

"This is the worst thing that's happened today. Yuck!" said Cherry.

After the concert they immediately headed back to the apartment.

"You did pretty well though, I have to admit," said Regina.

"Yea, you got the information! Well done!" said Diana.

"You should have let me kick his ass," said Kayain who obviously didn't like that scene. "They always talk after I'm done with 'em."

"Now, now," said Regina. "As jealous as you are, Kayain, it was just acting after all. You know she only loves you."

Neither Kayain or Cherry said anything to this. Regina smiled smugly, hoping for a reaction. Before she could say anything else, she fell down an open manhole.

Cherry waited until she heard a loud splash before saying," Whoops, I forgot to tell you that was there. How very unlike me."

Danyel looked suspiciously at Cherry and said," I was looking forward the whole time, that manhole was covered."

"Don't look at me," she said. "It's not my fault she's clumsy."

"Guys," called Regina. "That was very immature. I could have been seriously hurt, you know? I'm covered in sewage now…"

"Maybe next time then," said Cherry. "You'll pay closer attention to your surroundings, instead of flapping your gums."

"It's going to take _ages_ to get the stink out of these clothes… Can someone help me out of this muck?"

"No way," said Cherry. "You stink! Get out on your own."

-----------------------------------------

It was hours later when the Vigilantes arrived at the Charity ball. Regina had held everyone up with an extra long bath. Everyone was dressed in their best outfit, and on their best behavior. Kayain had received an extra talking to when asked to be on their best behavior.

Kayain dismissively waved his hand and said," Bah! I'm with _my_ people now. Classy, rich folks. I blend."

"Kayain, did you just fart?!" said Cherry holding her nose.

"Err… Maybe."

Lord Daniel approached them and said," Welcome! I'm glad you could make it."

His nose twitched near Kayain. He ignored it and said," Ami, there you are! Oh, everyone, there's a few people I want you to meet. Come, bring your dates and I'll introduce you."

Lord Daniel skirted through the area of suits and very expensive dresses. He led them to a fairly tall dark skinned man in a red outfit accompanied by a stunningly beautiful woman in violet.

"Everyone, this is Agent Crimson. He's been wanting to meet you guys for some time now."

Crimson nodded and said," Ah yes, the infamous Vigilantes." He turned to Cherry and said," You must be the ring-leader, Cherry."

"Captain, actually," she said.

"My apologies, Captain."

"You've been looking for us by name?"

"Indeed I have. Your team has gained quite a reputation among the hero community."

"Who do you work for?"

"I work for a group that prefers to remain nameless at the time being. However you can be sure we're on the same side."

"You can trust him," said Lord Daniel after seeing the look on Cherry's face. "_I_ trust him."

Cherry nodded and left it at that.

"I know about your situation, and the situation with the Rikti invaders. I know of the weapon you are building in D.A.T.A. and I believe I can help get things you need."

"You're certainly well informed," said Cherry. "Let me introduce you to-"

"Tylar Thomas," said Crimson. "They speak highly of you down at D.A.T.A."

Tylar was a bit surprised that this man knew him. He politely said," I am. And whatever kind of help you can provide, mister Crimson, would be of great help. I'm very short on supplies and we can't leave the planet at the moment because of a-"

"Blockade, by your nation of Matronia," said Crimson.

Tylar was momentarily speechless. Even Cherry was a bit surprised.

"Come now," said Crimson. "You think your lines are _that_ secure? My people hear communications intercepted all the time. Like you said, we're very well informed."

Cherry looked from Tylar back to Crimson and said," That you are sir. A man like you has many connections, and can easily find us what we need."

Crimson handed her a card and said," If you find yourself needing something, please don't hesitate to call."

"Likewise," said Cherry. "As I'm sure you already know our phone number."

He smiled at this. Looking to the side he said," Oh, let me introduce you to my partner, Agent Indigo."

A stunningly beautiful woman approached them. She had snow-white skin, shoulder-length black hair, and eyes you could get lost in.

At least Kayain was at the moment. Regina had to elbow him in the gut to get him to pay attention to her.

"A pleasure to meet you all," said Indigo. "I look forward to working with you in the future."

Kayain grinned like an idiot and said," Heh, heh... me too."

"You must be Doctor Kayain," she said with a peculiar grin on her face. It was almost as if she was hiding a laugh. "How goes your research?"

"Oh we've made several interesting breakthroughs. The first thing we accomplished was using the scientific method to determine my own personal level of attractiveness."

"The results?" she said as her grin widened.

"Startling," he said as he ignored Regina's tugging on his arm.

_Serves her right_, thought Cherry. _She ought to know by now that only _I _know how to tame Kayain. Have fun though._

Leaving Kayain and Regina she said to Crimson," I have a question."

"Ma'am?"

"Have you heard of the Freaklympics?"

Crimson thought about it for a moment, then said," The wine here is fabulous, would you like to get some with me?"

"I would, thanks. Everyone, please excuse me."

They both walked and picked up a glass of wine off a caterer's tray and walked to a semi-secluded area.

Crimson continued," As you're aware of, the group known as the Freakshow are self-proclaimed Anarchists, Sadists, Masochists, Druggies, and so forth. They have little regard for life, and prove it by tearing off their limbs and replacing them with steel and weaponry."

"That much we know," said Cherry.

"The Freaklympics you heard about is an event they hold every year where all of the freak gangs, and groups, bosses and leaders all get together for a day of chaos. They will all gather in-masse to have a large competition on who can cause the most mayhem and destruction. They keep score on destroying things, stealing, arson, mutilation, and finally hero killing."

"So every Freakshow out there will be in on this at the same time?"

"That's the problem. We just don't have the manpower to stop all of them at once. Plus we never know when it is, so there is just no telling."

Cherry thought for a moment. She remembered the conversation she had with Helter and said, "You know, I think I might be able to help you. I know when the next Freaklympics is. It will be this coming week, most likely Tuesday."

Crimson raised his eyebrow and said," How do you know that?"

"They told us. The Freakshow did."

Crimson merely shrugged and took a sip of wine.

"You're very sure though? This coming Tuesday?" he said as he cupped the wine glass.

"Positive. They wanted us to personally play music at their award ceremony."

"And are you?"

"Most definitely," said Cherry as she took a sip of wine. "We can't miss an opportunity like this one."

"Are you planning on taking all of them by yourself?"

"That's the general idea, yea… Unless you're offering help?"

"Please," said Crimson as he motioned back to the group. "Let's discuss this later. I'm not at liberty to discuss such things here in the open."

The two of them walked back to their group and found everyone talking jovially to many of the guests.

"Cherry! Hey Cherry! Over here!" called Kayain.

Cherry approached to see 2 beautiful women in his arms. She felt a lump in the pit of her stomach.

"Cherry, lemme introduce you to Madeline Casey! Remember? From _The Super Days_? She plays the heroine, Livewire?"

Realization dawned on her as she finally recognized the face of the young blonde woman in his right arm.

"Hi," said Madeline as she extended her hand. "Good to meet you."

"Oh, I can't believe I didn't recognize you," said Cherry as she shook her hand. "Yea I watch that show all the time. You do a wonderful job there."

"Thank you! I like the work, but my real passion is fighting crime just like you heroes do."

"You have real powers?"

"No, but I have _lots_ of friends who do. Information comes to me, and I can handle it with my network. Just another way of keeping the city safe!"

"That's great," said Cherry as she smiled. "Just goes to show, you don't need powers to be super."

"That is so true. Oh! And I saw your performance. I have to say, it was the best concert I have ever been to… Say, if it's not too much to ask, can I get an autograph?"

"Of course," said Cherry.

"We got each other's autograph," said Kayain. "And so did Miss Indigo here."

Indigo, who was in his left arm said," Your concert was spectacular. I think I'd like an autograph to take with me."

"Sure, sure," said Cherry as she looked around. "Where's Regina?"

"Talking to Lord Daniel," said Kayain.

"Don't neglect her now Kayain," said Cherry with a smile.

"Right! Heh, heh."

-----------------------------------------

"I say," said Tylar. "Wonderful party Lord Daniel."

"Indeed," said Lord Daniel. "Oh, look, see over there? That's the Chinese Ambassador, Zheng Xiaoxuan. He's a VIP in all my books. A businessman by trade, yet he's donated so much to charity. A true humanitarian."

"And who's that rugged man with him?" asked Regina.

"Jack Firenze, of the CIA. The man works in a division that communicates with China. Former military man as well."

"He looks it," said Regina.

"Don't let his looks deceive you, he's quite a gentlemen."

"Who's a gentlemen?" asked Cherry as she approached from behind.

"Oh, there you are," said Lord Daniel. "Your _date_ has been waiting."

Cherry looked to Tylar who shrugged. She smiled and said," He's my _partner_. And if I'm not mistaken, _your_ date is the one off talking to those handsome doctors over there."

Lord Danyel gasped and excused himself as he took off in the direction Cherry pointed.

"Is she really-" Tylar began.

"No," said Cherry to take Tylar's mind off Ami. "And as for you Gina, your date is really playing the field there isn't he?"

"He's just making contacts," said Regina as she shrugged.

"With a lot of beautiful women."

"And since when do you care about me so much?"

Cherry returned the shrug and said," Just thought you should know. Oh, and try pulling his ear, that always works."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because he's telling that joke about you on Bianas VII… You remember that mission? The one where you-"

"YES! I remember. Don't say that out loud."

"Oh, but Kayain is. He's about to tell that group of women over there."

Regina's eyes widened and she immediately took off.

"Yes," said Cherry before Tylar could ask. "He is indeed telling that joke… Ah good, the music has started. Shall we dance?"

"Why yes, indeed ma'am," said Tylar with a small bow.

Tylar took Cherry's hand and led her to the dance floor. They began with Tylar bowing properly, and Cherry giving a small courtesy. Tylar and Cherry went arm in arm to the waltz that the band jovially played.

Tylar was a surprisingly good dancer, and Cherry knew it came from years of fancy parties he attended.

Cherry and Tylar danced happily for the next few songs. No matter what song, Tylar danced naturally along with each. At times Cherry wondered if she's be able to keep up, but did so with Tylar leading.

It wasn't until at least the third song when Cherry nearly tripped over her feet. The cause of this problem was not uncoordination, but she spotted Quest sitting at a table by the dance floor, throwing her a look of disgust.

"Tylar," said Cherry still keeping in step. "The Ages sect is here."

"Where?" he said looking around.

"Behind you… twirl me."

As he did this, he looked behind to see them.

"Oh. Nothing good will come of this."

"Well, well, well," they heard come from the side. "Aren't you two comfy?"

Cherry looked to see Adagio in step with a woman Cherry did not know.

"What do you want?" said Cherry.

"Just to dance," said Adagio as he twirled his partner. "You wouldn't deny me such pleasures would you?"

"No, but you're being selfish. You're denying that woman _any _pleasure just by having her hang around you."

Tylar tried to stifle a chortle, as Adagio said," You still haven't got any manners have you? Well that'll all change soon."

"What do you wannabes have in store this time?" said Cherry.

"For your information," said the woman in Adagio's arms. "Adagio's ten times smarter then your whole team combined! I've heard of you Vigilantes, and you people are good for nothing. He's gonna solve this Rikti crises with our help."

"And you are?"

"Rita Wagner. Section 8 specialist."

"Section 8?!" said Tylar surprised. "I know about you guys! You stole the work from Section 4!"

"Prove it," she said. "And also, I'm here with Adagio because I _want_ to be. So you can just back off little missy."

"Yes," said Adagio. "Go back to your playpen, and let the big kids do the work now short stuff."

At this point, a wine glass flew across the room and splashed Adagio and Rita with red wine.

"Why you… Insolent-" Adagio began.

"You're out of your league," said Cherry. "Go back to your corner and just enjoy the party eh?"

"Don't worry darling," said Rita. "Their time will come. Oh yes… You'll be sorry you ever messed with us."

"Thank you, have a nice day," said Cherry as she and Tylar waltzed off the dance floor.

They both took a seat at the table that Danyel and Diana were sitting at.

"Mmm, you guys have to try the food here," said Diana. "It's pretty darn good, if I do say so myself."

"That it is love," said Danyel as he finally looked at Cherry. "Sis? What's up?"

"Ages is here."

Both Diana and Danyel's faces turned sour.

"Where are they?"

"On the other side of the dance floor. Try and avoid them at all costs."

"That's what I had in mind all along."

Cherry took a seat next to Tylar and said," Have you seen Kayain or Regina?"

"Come to think of it," said Danyel. "No I haven't. Where do you think they could have gone?"

"Probably to some little corner to make out," said Diana.

"Not funny," said Cherry.

"Ah, I wouldn't worry. He's probably just socializing like he usually does."

"Or maybe," said Danyel with a grin. "He's burnin' up the dance floor."

Everyone turned to see Kayain and Regina, arm in arm dancing. Cherry's guts gave a twist as she saw his hand reach for her behind.

"I say," said Tylar. "Cherry… Uh… Cherry?"

"What?!" she said sharper then she intended to. "Sorry."

"I was just going to say you should probably lay off that poor fork, yes?"

Cherry looked down in her hand to see the fork bent completely to one side.

"Oh, yes… That. I was just…. You know..."

"Quite."

"He's not doing it right! That man is so incompetent sometimes."

Danyel smiles and nudges Diana. They both smile as Danyel says," Maybe _you_ should show him personally how it's done?"

"Well… I _could_… I mean yea, sure I could. I'm a much better dancer then Gina could ever be."

"There ya go," said Diana. "Go out there and show him how it's done!"

"All right then! I will!"

Cherry stood up and marched over to the dance floor. She strode determinedly toward Kayain and Regina until she heard someone say," Evening' Princess Cherry."

She turned to the side to see none other then Remington of the Ages.

"Remy?" she said.

"Yes, highness?"

"How many times have I told you not to call me princess, Remy? I'm not a princess."

"I believe you will be. That is all I need."

Arguing with him wasn't going to make it stop. Remington and his family went very far back in Matronia's history as guardians of the royals. With the recent turn of events, Remington felt torn on his duty to the Patriarch, and orders to sabotage his own family.

"Remy, what do you want?"

"I believe milady should know that you need to tread lightly around master Quest. There are many plots about to ruin you, and take the Vindicator weapon."

"I know this Remy."

"Then you also must know of the means. They plan to ruin your reputation first, and take away your support. Once that is done, they plan to have you taken into Matronian custody."

"How would they do that?"

"They will speak of only the ill in your reputation. But I know better. I know the truth about milady's greatness."

"Remy…" said Cherry as she turned away. "I know that you're very loyal to the Patriarch-"

"Loyal to Matronia, princess," he corrected. "The Patriarch represents Matronia, and everything he does is for the good of our people. There can only be one chosen ruler after he is gone. I know it will be your mother. That makes you royalty."

"Royalty never suited me," sighed Cherry.

"From what I know milady, you've been a leader all your life. You're suited for royalty more then you know."

_And that's what bothers me_, she thought.

"Still, I can't have you saying that out loud Remy. This is a fancy ball with high society people. If they found out my status, I'd be the center of attention. I really don't need that right now. You know how I work."

"Hey!" they heard Kayain say from the side. "Remy, whatcha up to?"

"Hello master Kayain," he said politely. "I was having a conversation with milady about the goings on of Ages. But for now I must go."

"All right man, you take it easy, eh?"

Remington bowed politely and departed. Kayain put his hands behind his head and said," So, what was that about?"

"He didn't want to reveal too much, but he said we need to be careful. Ages sect is plotting something against us. Something against our reputation."

Kayain raised an eyebrow and said," Can't make it any worse can they?"

"It was pretty low when Quest tried to get the rumor started that I eat babies."

"Oh yea," laughed Kayain. "Joker's just running out of ideas."

Kayain snagged a wine glass from a caterer and said," So… Where's Tylar? I saw you dancing with him earlier."

"Oh," she said, slightly blushing. "He's eating right now. I was just… getting food from the buffet table."

"Uh, hua… Well the table is the other way."

"Is it? Must not have been paying attention I guess." She changed the subject to avoid any more awkwardness. "So how's the ball going for you so far?"

"Very nice," he said with a proud smile. "Made plenty of contacts. Like see that guy over there? He's the leader of the Legion of Valor. A huge and prestigious super group in Paragon City. Told him all about our situation and he offered us membership to the group."

"That'll come in handy."

"No doubt. That's why I'm signing up soon. And hey, look at this. The lovely Miss Indigo gave me her number!"

"Work number I hope?"

"Err… Well you be the judge."

Cherry looked at the paper with the number on it. It had a large kiss mark on it with the same color lipstick Indigo was wearing.

"I see," said Cherry neutrally.

"Plus Miss Casey gave me hers as well. I'm pretty damn popular with all the ladies tonight."

"Except one," said Cherry under her breath.

"Hua?"

"Nothing. Hey where's Gina?"

"Trying to get a dance with Lord Daniel. But he's already dancing with Ami."

"That would explain why Tylar keeps trying to sneak a peek at the dance floor."

"Heh, poor sap. Hey I'll meet back up with the group later. Got a few more people to meet."

"Have fun Kayain," she said, slightly disappointed.

As he departed she sighed and decided she'd better head over to the food table. The food on the table looked absolutely delicious, but she didn't have much of an appetite at that point. She nibbled on a few pieces of cheese and turned back to the crowd.

"You don't look like you're having a good time, miss," the person next to her said.

"Oh," she said, not really expecting to be approached. "It's not that. I'm just lost in thought right now."

He casually strode next to her and turned the same direction. He glanced sideways and said," Parties are meant to be a fun time. It can't be a party if you're not enjoying it. Can your thoughts wait?"

"I suppose. To be honest I've never been the party-goer type."

"So what brings you here?"

"I'm here with my team. Being the leader I have to keep them in line. Sometimes I feel more like a babysitter then a leader though."

"Doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself every once and a while."

"I try. Work usually gets in the way."

"Sounds like you need a vacation."

"A long one."

There was a slight pause before he extended his hand and said," I'm Mark by the way. Mark Avis, known as Energicon on the streets."

It wasn't until this moment when Cherry finally got a good look at the man. He was fairly tall, tan skinned with dark hair, and a handsome face. Regina's words echoed in her head,' _Nothing wrong with looking at a sexy guy now is there?_'

Cherry smiled at him and said," Energicon is it? I'm afraid I don't have a super-hero name."

"Oh but I know who you are," he said with a smile. "Cherry of the Vigilantes. I read about you in the papers, and on Heronet. I have to say though, that the pictures posted hardly do you justice."

She blushed a bit and turned back to the crowd. She folded her arms and said," So you just wanted to say hi is all? Or were you going to ask me to dance?"

"It's like you can read my mind," he said with a playful smile. "Madam would you care to dance?"

Cherry happened to catch sight of Kayain across the room, laughing with Madeline Casey. She playfully put her hand on his arm and squeezed his muscle when he flexed for her. The beast inside her begging for Madeline's blood was quieted with the sight of Mark.

"Yes," she said hoping not to sound anything but happy. "I'd _love_ to."

-----------------------------------------

Ian Albright and Miss Jane were flagged down by Quest and told to come sit with them. When they approached the table, Ian nearly did a double take.

"No!" he said as he pointed to the man sitting in the seat. "No, no, no, no, NO! I will _not _sit with him!"

"What's the matter Ian? Hope I'm not scaring you am I?" said the heavily mustachioed man in the seat.

"Are you nuts man?" said Ian as he looked at Quest. "Do you know who this is?"

"Christopher O'Hara," said Quest with a smile. "Biggest name in tabloid news, most talked about show, for it's cutting edge facts and details. Deflater of inflated egos, and destroyer of reputations. The last beacon of truth against the perils of the so-called super-powered do-gooders, and villains alike."

Christopher did a small bow as he proudly acknowledged this.

"After watching this show, I found this man to be a 'true hero', unlike those destructive idiots wondering the streets. So I pulled a few strings here and there to get in contact with him, and told him my story. He was interested in what I had to say, and we decided to help each other out. He gets an interesting story that will be talked about for years to come, while I accomplish my mission."

"But Christopher is _ruthless_!"

"Oi, Come on now!" said Christopher. "'Honest' is the word you're looking for, mate. And cooperate with us and I'll go easy on you this Monday on my show."

"I'm telling you, this is not a good idea," he said to Quest.

"Do you want to get even or not?"

"I do but-"

"Work with Christopher and you will have not only that, but you can help your reputation out a bit."

"He's right mate," said Christopher. "I have the power to turn your bad reputation around. People _listen_ to me. You have a good word with me, and you have a good word with everyone!"

Ian sighed as he thought about this. He knew how bad Christopher could be against anyone. And the truth was that people did in fact listen to his opinions over many others.

With great reluctance he said," Fine. I'll work with you."

"Glad you see things my way mate," said Christopher as he lit a cigar. "You won't regret it."

"I'm sure I will."

-----------------------------------------

"Where's Cherry?" asked Kayain when he came back to the table everyone was at.

"Dancing with that hottie over there," said Regina.

"What?!" he said as he looked around the dance floor. He finally set his eyes on Cherry dancing with the tall, dark, and handsome man.

"Hey, who is that? And who does he think he is?"

"Uh, Kayain?" said Tylar.

"What?!" he said sharply.

"You just drove that fork into the table."

"Did I? That fork probably deserved it anyway."

"Quite."

"He's not even doing it right," said Kayain as he began popping his fingers. "I'll bet he's going to try and put a hand on her ass too, the pervert."

"Says you," mocked Danyel. "Why don't you go out there and show him how it's really done?"

"Well… I _could_… I mean yea, sure I could. I'm a much better dancer then he could ever be."

"There ya go," said Diana. "Go out there and show him how it's done!"

"All right then! I will!"

Kayain got up and strode determinedly to the dance floor. Danyel looked over to the rest of them and said," Are those two married or what?"

"I don't see how that hasn't happened yet," said Regina.

"Oh, would you look at that, Kayain is intercepted by Miss Casey again," said Diana.

"So he has," said Danyel. "Ah, looks like he's taking her to dance. Don't you feel left out Regina?"

"Not really," she said. "Come on Tylar, let's go make up for it."

"Me? You really want to dance with me?"

"Tylar, one of these days I'm going to convince you that girls who ask you out do not bite… much."

"Oh," he said, trying to hide a smile. "Right-o then."

-----------------------------------------

At the end of the night, everyone was tired, but very happy. Cherry held the hand of Mark as she said," Thank you sir for those wonderful dances."

"The pleasure is all mine," he said. "You are a wonderful dancer."

"Thanks… Well It's getting late, I'm afraid I must be going."

"Er, wait a minute."

"Yes?"

"Can I see you again sometime?"

Cherry blushed slightly. She glanced over to Kayain laughing happily with Madeline Casey, and stirred the monster again.

"Yes," she said. "Yes, I think I'd like that. Here's my number… Call me."

With that she walked back to the table, unable to hide the grin on her face. Typically a grin like that on Cherry meant something was definitely going her way for a change.

Danyel asked," So, what's that about?"

"Because I'm happy."

"You're never happy, what's that really about?"

"Never you mind, we're leaving anyway. We've got a second concert to prepare for."

"A second concert?"

"We're playing at the Freaklympics award ceremony, remember? We're going to put on a show they'll never forget."

-----------------------------------------

Tuesday could not have come quicker. It was late in the evening, and everyone was prepared and looking for a fight. For the occasion, Cherry was in contact with Crimson and Captain Terrance to collaborate a plan against the Freakshow.

Little did they know that the Freakshow were already all over the city, and the event was already underway. To play it safe, they traveled the sewer network in packs occasionally beating up a hero or two who foolishly came down there.

"This is _great_," said Helter. "You keeping count right? That's FIVE hospitalized heroes so far. If they didn't have that emergency teleporter crap it would be five _dead_ heroes though."

"Sure boss," said the Scorecounter.

"Hey, I think I know where we are. We're right above the 'Family Jewels', let's go in and steal some candy!"

Most people were accustomed to things popping in and out of the sewers. You'll get the Skulls, Hellions, Vhazilok, Outcasts, Trolls, Clockwork, and even the occasional oversized talking turtle that fights crime.

But no one was ready for the amount of Freakshow that suddenly popped out of the sewers. Every street corner was packed with Freakshow coming from manholes, grates, ducts, and even abandoned warehouses.

The Freaks were immediately met with the Paragon Police Department, who was already on high alert.

"This way!" called Helter as they ran from the chaos already on the streets.

Helter used his claw arm to tear open the door to the 'Family Jewels'. His group immediately began smashing and grabbing everything in sight.

"Hey boss! Lookie what I found!" called out one of his gang members. "I found the shopkeeper here and his wifey!"

Helter walked over to the door at the far end and looked inside to see a small living area. The gang member stood over the cowering people pointing a shotgun at them.

"Yo boss," he said. "What you wanna do with 'em? Break their Arms? Legs? Pull their fingers out?"

Helter walks up and looms over the two. He looks down and says," Tell me where the good stuff is. That shit you got in the front is for grannies and little girlies. I want the _real_ jewels and I want em now."

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!" said the shopkeeper. "Please! Just take the jewels and go!"

Two more thugs came into the room. Helter crossed his arms and said," I'm growing impatient old man, I know you jewelers carry better stuff then up front. I wanna see it, or-" Helter looked to his wife and smiled. "-_something_ just might happen to her."

"No!" he cried. "Please don't hurt her!"

"Go ahead boys," said Helter.

The two thugs came in and grabbed the woman. She screamed and struggled in vein under the Freakshow's incredible strength.

"I wanna cut her open, right down the middle!" said one as he stuck his tongue out at her, making a vulgar suggestion with it.

"No! I'm gonna smash her fingers, one by one. Then I'm gonna do her toes next!" said the other.

"STOP! NO!" said the shopkeep. "Please! I'll tell you where the jewels are, just don't hurt her!"

-----------------------------------------

"Oh, that's rich!" laughed Christopher O'Hara as he poured a refill on a glass of Champaign. "These Vigilantes sound like they're off their rocker alright. And the Martinez siblings are supposed to be royalty?"

"Normally they would be treated like it," said Quest. "Except on orders of the Patriarch that is."

"But still, they are, yes?"

"Yes, you're right."

"Lovely," said Christopher with a wicked smile. "Oh that makes their downfall oh so much sweeter."

Eva looked up, sensing danger.

"Quest," she said quietly. "Something's happening."

Phoebe looked up suddenly and said," I hear something as well."

The Ages sect ran to the window and looked out. It was chaos in the streets. Freakshow covered the streets, smashing windows, breaking vehicles, tearing out phone poles, and terrorizing the citizens.

Suddenly, the door busted open, as Freakshow members tore into the room. On sight, a Freakshow tank extended his arm, and launched a buzz-saw directly at Christopher.

Quest, with lightning reflexes, ran in front and knocked the saw off course with his blade.

"Chris," he said. "Get to safety. NOW! We'll handle this rabble."

-----------------------------------------

Kayain absorbed a bone smashing slam from a maul attached to the arm of a Freakshow. The blade would normally break a man in half with that kind of hit, but merely bruised in his mid-section.

He responded with a kick to the handle, breaking it in half. The freak member, momentarily stunned as he regarded the broken weapon, charged in.

Kayain sidestepped and tripped the freak. While he was down Kayain grabbed the freak by the head and dragged him to the apartment stoop that they were fighting next to. Kayain picked his head up and grinded his face into the rough concrete siding.

He looked up to see two more Freakshow staring in horror as their friend was being handled by Kayain.

"What?" said Kayain as he held the Freak writhing in pain. "He started it."

After a moment's hesitation, the two charged in. They swung high, but Kayain went low. They fell over, clutching their pelvis in hopes that they would ever pee again.

Kayain stepped on the throat of one and said," Where's your boss?"

The Freak only managed to gag.

"I'm getting tired of you punks. I should have been at home today, with my beloved Mr. Cuddles. But no, I have to spend my evening here with you-"

Kayain stopped as he heard the other Freak with the torn face get up, fully recovered.

He frowned as the Freak cursed and spat at him.

"You should have stayed down boy," said Kayain.

The Freakshow became enraged and charged him again. This time, he stopped short and grabbed his head as he cried out in pain.

But having two hammers as hands is not always the greatest thing to grab your head with. The Freakshow slammed his hammer to the side of his head, and fell over.

"I really didn't mean for that to happen," said Cherry from behind Kayain.

Kayain shrugged and said," Can't be helped, babe."

"I just got a call from Crimson," she continued. "There was a kidnapping at the Chinese Embassy. The Freakshow took several people hostage, including Ambassador Zheng Xiaoxuan."

Kayain nodded and said," So we're in charge of that?"

"I told Crimson I would take care of it. The Freakshow took them to a warehouse in Brickstown."

"Then let's get going… What about these guys?"

Cherry regarded the two on the floor for a moment and said," You two are very lucky today. I will not kill you. Although for everything you've done, you probably deserve to death. Instead I will do something even more horrible to you."

The two Freakshow's eyes widened, as they began to run around screaming. Kayain looked at her and said," So what did you do to them?"

"They lost their hearing so to speak. The only thing that they hear in their mind is elevator music."

"Wow. You can be downright sadistic."

-----------------------------------------

Quest pointed his weapon to a Freakshow and gave him a condescending smile.

"Your friends were no match," said Quest. "What makes you think you have a chance, boy?"

The Freakshow with, a bladed arm, charged at Quest. The Freakshow swiped, only to have his blade deflected with Quest's sword. Quest deflected the curved blade and quickly put it against the throat of the Freakshow.

Neither of them moved. The smile on Quest's face told the Freakshow that if he were to move, he would be cut down instantly.

Then from around the corner, a bigger group of Freakshow appeared, and circled around the two. Quest dropped his smile, as the Freakshow at the end of his blade began his own smile.

"Well, well," said one. "Hey check it out Helter, we got fifty points standing right here."

"This does not concern you," said Quest calmly. "Let me finish with him and I will oblige you."

All of the Freakshow laughed.

"Hero," said Helter. "You're about to be in a world of hurt."

"Look at his hair!" said another. "He's got girly hair, ha, ha!"

"I wanna cut it all off," said another. "And then I'm gonna rip out that pretty face, ha, ha, ha!"

Quest shakes his head as he said," Guess I'm gonna have to hurt you all right here and now… Remy?"

Behind them, the overly-large Remington grabbed two of them by the head and smashed them together. The rest of them were taken by surprise as the giant had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. They turned to face him, but found they could not move.

Behind Remington, Phoebe was casting a spell that made the earth itself grasp their feet, locking them in place. While they were busy looking at their feet, Quest swiftly cut off each of their implanted arms in a series of fluid motions.

Remington used his own ability to form two large rock gloves in his hands, and proceeded to punch the Freaks to unconsciousness.

Helter was the only one with a ranged buzz saw launcher. He took aim right at Quest's backside and fired. Before Quest had a chance to move, Remington stuck his arm out, and took the hit in his forearm.

The buzz saw went past the rock fist, and cut deep into his arm. Remington did not flinch or make a sound. He instead stared, stone-faced at Helter.

Quest turned his head slightly and said," Thank you Remy. Do what you want to him."

Remington nodded. Helter barred his teeth, ready to fight the oversized hero. Suddenly, Helter's face changed to surprise, and then his body went stiff.

Eva came around the corner and said," Just a minute all… I'm reading his mind and I found something very interesting."

Quest sheathed his sword and said," What did you find?"

"First off, this is the Freaklympics, like we read from the flyer."

"We could guess that much Eva."

"Ah, but late at night they will have an award ceremony with a massive Freakshow gathering… And guess who volunteered to play the music?"

Quest frowned at the thought.

"Seriously… the Vigilantes are going there?"

"Yea, and you know I think if I can mind-lock with this guy, I can follow him, and we can hit the mother-lode of Freakshow."

This brought a smile to Quest's face. Something like this would definitely put them in good standing with the city.

"Do that then," said Quest. "I have an idea, but we're going to have to work fast."

-----------------------------------------

Cherry and a small group of Vigilantes entered the warehouse, and found no resistance at the entrance. This made Cherry even more uneasy.

Looking around the entryway, the walls were pot-marked with bullet holes, blood, and bits of gore.

"Are we too late?" asked Kayain.

"No," said Cherry. "It looks like something beat us to it… but what, I don't know. Let's see what we can find. Everyone be on guard."

Everywhere they went was the same thing, patches of bullet holes on the walls, blood, bullet casings, and shrapnel, but no bodies.

"Hey guys, I found something interesting," said Regina.

They walked to the corner where she stood frowning. Regina pointed to a dead Freakshow body.

"Strange," said Cherry. "By the look of it, I'd say he was-"

"Executed," said Regina. "His position, and the fact that this is the only area that doesn't look combat worn. Plus you guys can see the double tap in the back of his head."

"Two shots to the back of the head," said Cherry. "This is not Paragon Police, I can tell you that… Council?"

"I don't know why, but I don't think that this is their doing," said Danyel.

"You're right," said Cherry. "I would know… No, they're much more messy then this. If they wanted to, they'd flaunt their takeover with a cadre of soldiers. We haven't encountered anything."

"Then who?"

Cherry didn't answer. She rubbed her chin, thinking about the villain groups known in the city.

Finally she said," Gina, I need you to take point, invisible. Tell us what you find."

Regina nodded and went off deeper into the warehouse. She found the lack of life in the place disturbing. It would have been more comforting to have mobs every step of the way, so they already would know what to face against.

She heard voices just around a corner. She crept up as quietly as she could and peeked over the side.

There was 4 men around the corner. Each wearing a blue spec-ops type outfit. They were armed to the core with guns, grenades, batons, stun prods, and many other various weapons. The man the 3 others were looking at was wearing a cowboy-like hat, with a bandana covering his nose and mouth. To top off his look, he had two six shooter pistols, one on each side.

"The first phase is underway," said the cowboy-hat man. Regina took note of his very heavy southern draw in his voice. His whole look, and the way he spoke was almost as if they pulled him directly out of an old western movie.

"What now Director?" asked another of the spec-ops.

"First thing's first," said the Director. "Get the Ambassador secure for phase one."

"That's already been taken care of Director."

"Good, then we're on schedule," said the Director.

For a slight moment, Regina thought the Director looked right at her.

"For now," he continued. "I recon we're done here. Come on boys, let's get outta' here."

The men nodded and walked with the Director. Suddenly he stopped, and held his hand up, stopping the others. They held positions for a few moments while the Director held his hand up still.

With amazing speed, he turned and quickdrew his 6 shooter from his holster and shot right at Regina. She was unable to move fast enough to dodge his shot, but fortunately, it only grazed her cheek.

A single drop of blood fell to the floor. The Director stood still with his gun in place. Regina did not move, in case he felt the need to shoot again. Instead, the Director shook his head and motioned for them to keep going.

Regina exhaled as she slid down the wall in relief. She turned on her communicator and said," Regina to Cherry."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Gina! Get over here!" she heard Cherry say through the sound of gunfire in the background.

Without hesitation, she got up and raced down the corridor. In the distance she heard the gunfire, and ran in the direction it came from. Looking down a hall she saw the fight.

The people they fought with wore the same blue outfits, and carried the same weapons. She rushed in to Cherry's side to help her with a man trying to get to her inside her psi-barrier. Gathering power in her hands, she thrust to the backside of the unsuspecting man, incapacitating him immediately.

"Help Kayain!" said Cherry.

Kayain was holding two of the men by the throats, and two others were trying to take him down with tazers. Regna ran and slammed her fist into the kidney of one of the men. The shock of it was enough to prevent him from crying out. Instead he fell over, in a desperate attempt to breathe, while writhing in pain.

Kayain turned to the other man who was shocking him and growled at him. The man's instincts told him he should re-think about what he was doing. His tazer would not drop the big man, and he's holding two of his comrades by the necks as easily as swinging rag dolls.

The man did not move. Regina went behind him and put her arm around his throat. She gathered energy in her fingertips and put it threateningly at his heart.

"Talk," she said. "Who are you?"

The man hesitated at first. He was busy watching Kayain slam his comrade's heads together, knocking them out.

"I _said_ who are you?" she repeated, putting her fingers closer and singeing his uniform.

"Alpha 18," he said. "Special ops, in securing the Chinese Ambassador. We were sent on special assignment to retrieve him from the Freakshow."

"I think you're lying," she said. "I have reason to believe-"

"Stop!" they heard someone say from behind. "Don't do it! They're helping me!"

Everyone turned to see four people rushing up to them, one of which was the Chinese Ambassador.

"They came to rescue me from those Freakshow," said Zheng Xiaoxuan. "And look what you _heroes_ have done to them!"

"While it's true that we were indeed kidnapped," said another hostage who Regina recognized from the party as Jack Firenze. "I still have my doubts about our 'rescuers'."

"And you are?" asked Cherry.

"Jack Firenze," he said. "CIA. I'm on special assignment with the Ambassador. We were about to have a meeting with a few officials when the Freakshow came bursting in to the office, and kidnapping the Ambassador, myself, and our two secretaries."

"Who are these people," she asked, pointing to one of the men on the floor.

"Malta," said Jack. "Completely untrustworthy in my opinion."

"Maybe to _you_ Jack," said Zheng. "But they know how to get the job done."

Cherry adjusted her communicator and said," Cherry to Terrance."

"Terrance here," said the voice of Captain Terrance.

"We have the Ambassador secure. Your information was correct. He'll be needing a police escort back to the Embassy."

"Roger that, we're on our way."

Cherry turned back to the group and said," The police are on the way. It would be wise to get out of this area." They nodded in agreement, and Cherry added," A word please, Jack."

"Yes?" he said as everyone began to walk back.

"What's Malta?"

Jack looked to make sure everyone was out of earshot before he said," Best you didn't know right now. Just know that they aren't good news. Don't let your guard down around them… That's all I can say now."

-----------------------------------------

Back at the apartments, the Vigilantes prepared for the late night concert with the help of Kayain and Talley's Anti-fashion sense.

"Daaahling," mocked Kayain as he nodded approval at Cherry's attire. "You look fabulous!"

"I can feel the inner punk in you," said Talley. "Or Goth, whichever you prefer."

"What I _feel_ like is a cheep hooker," said Cherry as she looked in the mirror with disgust.

"All the more reason to love you," said Kayain. Before Cherry could figure out if that was another jibe at her, he said," We're going to have a room full of doped up morons, and having their eyes on you makes them vulnerable. Then when we got em thinking they actually have a shot at you-" he slammed his fists together, "BAM! We got em."

"Oh Lord," she said looking in the mirror a second time. "May I never have to wear this ever again."

"Hey, I almost forgot," said Kayain. "You'll be needing these."

He handed her a few metallic looking pieces of plastic.

"What are these for?"

"To blend in. We're going to put these on your arms and legs to make it look like body mods."

"I've already got the fake tattoos, piercing, and my hair is ridiculous. And _now_ I have to put on more plastic? I'm going to be dragging myself around sooner or later."

"I think you wear the Goth look well," said Talley. "Are you sure you won't consider-"

"No."

"Couldn't hurt to ask."

Regina came into the room and burst out laughing.

"Oh come on," said Cherry as she crossed her arms. "You look just as bad."

"I'm sorry," she said while trying to control her laughing. "It's just, I never imagined you'd wear something like that."

"I'm not doing it because I like it. I'm doing it to get the job done. I've had to do things like this before, and this is no different- Hey!"

Cherry marched over to Regina and inspected her exposed shoulder. She then turned her around and looked at her back.

"What _is_ that?!"

"My temporary body tattoo. Since I'm going in a small-top and mesh shirt, it's exposed. Neat hua?"

"How far down does it go?"

"Covers the body, like I said."

"Who did that?"

"Diana. She's quite the artist."

"I was _going_ to, but she didn't let me," said Kayain. "I had it all planned out. A big yellow smiley face on her front. Of course I'll let you guess what the two eyes would be, hur hur."

"Kayain, you're naughty," said Regina.

"I could still do that on you if you want, babe," he said with a mischievous grin.

"I'll pass, thanks," said Cherry.

In the doorway they heard someone clear their throat to let their presence be known. Tylar came in and said," Dear me, I must have stepped into another dimension."

"What's up Tylar?" asked Cherry.

"Captain Terrance is on the phone. He says the PPD is in position, and will wait for your signal."

"Good, tell him that we should be there within the hour. Just finishing up on our disguises. And remind him to have his men wearing sound dampeners so they are not effected by the music."

Tylar nodded and left the room. Cherry looked to Kayain and said," I'm all ready. How is everyone else?"

"They've _been_ ready."

"I see. Your Anti-Fashion is strong today."

Kayain belched loudly, and said," I guess so."

-----------------------------------------

Crey's Folly is an area between Brickstown and the Rikti Crash Site. It's an area most heroes avoided like the plague. An area devoid of any hero support. An area filled with toxic waste rivers, villain hideouts, Rikti invaders, and watchful snipers.

Many heroes who went into this area were never seen again. All the more reason The Vigilantes entered through the back way; across from the Rikti Crash site.

"Was this the area they said to meet?" asked Danyel. "I can hardly tell in this place."

"I'm sure of it," said Cherry. "Carnival Town it's called. It also fits the Captain's description."

The whole area was like a city built out of metal scraps. Hut shaped houses stood made from bits of traffic signs, construction steel, and anything else they could get their hands on. Tall, graffitied buildings stood around the huts, which were obviously factories before Crey's Folley's downfall.

"Yo," called out a Freakshow. "You guys the Vigilantes?"

"We are," said Cherry.

"Hot damn! Helter wasn't just talking out his ass was he? You're really them?"

"Yes, is Helter here?"

"INCOMING!" they heard Helter yell out. He ran as fast as he could out of the Carnival with two other Freakshow in tow.

"Back off you!" he said to the Freak near Cherry. "The lady is with me!"

"Man, whatever," he said. "They're the real deal?"

"Of course they –" It was at this moment Helter finally realized what everyone was wearing, but focused on Cherry. "Oh… man…"

"Yo, Helter," said the Freak. "You polish your armor or summthin?"

"And if I did?!" he said, raising his clawed arm to the Freak.

"Just sayin' is all."

"Helter," said Cherry sweetly. "We have our equipment there in that trailer." Cherry pointed to a trailer that Tylar's bots were dragging. "Be a dear and take those in, will you?"

Helter grinned like an idiot, then said," Boys, you heard the lady. Get that equipment inside and set it up!"

The two nodded and began to unload the boxes inside. Helter continued," You guys come with me. You don't want any of these other freaks hasslin' ya."

The Vigilantes followed Helter into the jungle of steel. The place had a smell to it that was a mix between excrement, burnt rubber, and death. Everywhere they looked there were Freakshow members laughing raucously, or fighting over one thing or another. It was a truly brutal and maddening place.

Helter led them into a graffitied building. The inside was decorated like the outside. It had metal signs, and chunks of metal all over the walls. In some places walls were put up with upside down rockets as the posts.

The inside was dim, with strobe and colored lights as the only source of lighting. The sound of heavy techno music resonated deep within the factory. It was like going to a rave with the usual druggies, only ten times more dangerous. The feeling made Cherry and the others very tense.

Helter lead them through the ranks of Freakshow, shoving them out of the way. Once or twice a Freakshow would grab at one of the women to try and pull them into their group. Helter responded by clawing chunks out of their face or tearing one of their limbs clean off. To Cherry's surprise this did not invoke the ire of the rest of the group, but instead they laughed like maniacs at their fallen comrade. It was a truly mind-numbing sight.

They walked up a flight of stairs leading to the main area. The music sounded louder from this point, and they could only guess that this was the backstage area.

"Yo, Clamor!" said Helter. "I told you I'd bring em, and here they are!"

There was a female Freakshow. She was heavily augmented like the rest of them, but looked slightly more dangerous. Cherry could sense a feeling of respect that Helter had for this woman. She guessed Clamor was their leader.

"Nice work Helter," said Clamor in a very gruff female voice. "You people, get over here! The awards are about to begin."

Cherry and the others peeked outside behind the curtains. There was a river of Freakshow just beyond the stage. They were all on the floor, dancing like men possessed. They were on the balcony that edged all along the side, hanging off or jumping off into the sea of Freakshow below. Strobe lights, Colored lights, and Laser lights all illuminated the area, making it one of the vilest raves they've ever seen.

When the last song was over, a deafening cheer erupted from all the Freakshow. Gunshots could be heard, firing into the air, as well as the banging of steel together.

Clamor stepped on stage and took a microphone with her.

"My fellow cretins," she said. "Tonight was _our_ night!" This was followed by cheers. "Tonight we showed the supposed _heroes_ of Paragon who really runs this town!"

Again, another cheer followed.

"No one, not anyone, is a match for the Freakshow! Not those idiots from Crey, not those pigs from the Council, not even the wretched heroes of Paragon. No one!"

She waited for the cheering to settle down before she continued.

"And now, it's time to find out who gave the most hell. Which group wrecked the most havoc? Which one of you deserves to be the king Freak? We shall see. Bruise! Get over here!"

The Freakshow named Bruise ran up and handed Clamor a sheet of paper and 3 painted metal discs with ropes attached to them. She took a moment to read what was on it, and smiled.

"The results are in," she said, holding up the paper. "For most kidnaps and blood spilled, Third place goes to… BunkBuster!"

A Freakshow Tank came running up and stood on the pedestal where third place goes. Clamor put the bronze disc cap around BunkBuster's neck and punched his chest. BunkBuster let out a wild roar, which the crowd returned.

When everyone quieted down she continued," For most burglaries, and hero killing, Second place goes to… Helter Skelter!"

Helter came running out yelling at the top of his lungs. While this was going on, some of the Freakshow came in and handed The Vigilantes their instruments.

While the cheering went on, Cherry could not say anything over the sound of the Freaks. So she said telepathically," _Guys, we've only got one shot at this. There's only one thing that will satisfy this crowd, and that's Heavy Metal. It's Metal or die here people. And I choose Metal._"

"For most bombs, and destruction," continued Clamor. "I give First place to Mistah Static!"

"_Tylar,_" continued Cherry. "_You'd better be ready on that signal, or we're all in deep trouble._"

After the cheering settled down, Clamor continued," You have done well my Freaks. And for this you shall all be rewarded. As you've heard, we were promised music… and music you shall get. Helter, tell our Freaks what we have today!"

"Yo," said Helter. "To all my Freaks out there! You all thought I was fulla shit when I said I could get the Vigilantes. But guess what? I give you… The Vigilantes!"

With this, the curtain was opened. The sight was vastly intimidating. Each one of them could easily rip them in half if they wanted to.

Cherry strengthened her resolve, and stepped forward. Raucous cheers and whistling came with it.

"What's this?" said Cherry as she took the mic. "I came here to put on a show, and I can't hear a single one of you."

The crowd cheered, but Cherry continued," I can't hear you Freaks! I said, make some ga-damn NOISE!"

They cheered even louder this time. Kayain followed with a chord that nearly silenced them. The note resonated all the way out to the fields, making all the Freaks in Carnival Town look up and toward the direction where it came from.

After a moment of silence, the crowd cheered again.

"That's more like it!"

-----------------------------------------

Outside of Carnival Town, Captain Terrance waited along with the largest Paragon Police force he could muster. He had no doubts of their skills, as they were the best the PPD had to offer. Plus he had the aid of the remainder of the Vigilantes.

His wife, Vanessa, aka Steel Magnolia, waited alongside him, ready to offer her powers as backup.

"It's awfully loud isn't it?" she said as she heard the music from even that far away.

"Yea," said Terrance. "And that's why we need the plugs. Right now, those freaks are going under some kind of mind control."

"A bit scary when you think about it," she said. "Music controlling your minds."

"No different then any other super powered person here hon. It's how you use it that counts."

She smiled as he said this, knowing he was also talking about her. Terrance checked his watch and said," Almost time. She's wearing them out as much as she can."

"I'm exhausted just hearing it from here."

A few more minutes went by, and suddenly there was gunfire.

"Terrance to all units, hold your fire!" said Terrance into his communicator.

"Sir, that's a negative sir," said a squad captain. "There's gunfire coming from an unknown location!"

"What the feck is goin' on?!" said Biggs.

"Hold your positions!" said Terrance.

"John!" said Vanessa. "In the sky, look!"

Descending on Carnival town was a fleet of gunships that they recognized as-

"Longbow!" said Terrance. "What are _they _doing here?"

One after another, Longbow soldiers air-dropped from the gunships. Some soldiers flew in on their own personal jetpacks, while others came on foot via invisibility.

"Ack! The ruddy bastards are droppin' from the sky!" said Biggs.

"What the hell are they thinking," said Terrance.

"That they're heroes," said Vanessa. "They have their own rights though."

"The point is, they needed to contact us first!"

"This is Warden Johnson of Longbow to all allied units," someone said on the communicator. "We have the situation under control. Please do not get in the crossfire."

"Like hell," said Terrance. "Warden Johnson, you have no business here. This is already under control by the PPD."

"Negative," said Johnson. "We received orders from City Hall that this was our responsibility. Please stand down Captain."

Terrance swore under his breath. He said," I wanna see these orders!"

"A pleasure, my good Captain," he heard from behind.

Warden Johnson stood tall, and as usual, very erect. It was very hard for one not to stare at this, but in the moment of his anger, Terrance did not pay him any heed.

"I think you'll find everything is in order," said Johnson as he handed Terrance the form.

Terrance read it over and frowned. It was indeed authentic and signed by all the necessary heads.

With great reluctance he said on his communicator," Men, stand by for further orders."

"First and foremost," said Terrance. "I don't know where you get off and go over my head like that-"

"The simple truth to it was we were unaware you were here. Everything was processed properly with the help of a very honorable group by the named, Ages Sect. Their leader Quest Xanthe was the one who gave us all the information we needed. He told us when and where it was going to happen. He and his group even volunteered to help with the assault. Fine bunch of heroes they are."

"Now look here you-"

"Please Captain. I have my orders, and so do you. Tell your men to stand down. That's an order from the city."

Terrance was absolutely furious. Just the fact that these Hero Corps, had so much pull in the government that they could overrule the police like that. What made him even more angry was that they had the nerve to go to City Hall first, before the PPD.

_Unless_, he thought. _Unless they already knew we would be here._

"Warden Johnson," said Terrance. "Who is this Quest Xanthe?"

"I've said that already. Leader of the Ages Sect."

"And how did he come across this information?"

"I'm not sure on the specifics, but I believe he has a psion who found the information out from a Freakshow gang member."

Terrance thought for a moment. He distinctly remembers the name Ages sect from somewhere, and he could also remember Cherry not liking them.

_Now I remember_, thought Terrance. _Cherry said Ages Sect was also from their world, but their bitter rivals. They were always out to destroy one another._

"One last question," said Terrance. "Are your men wearing earplugs?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Quest mentioned a powerful mind-controller inside, and to equip the men with specific sound dampeners to resist the effects."

Realization dawned on him. He said," I see… Carry on then."

After that he left the area with Vanessa. On his communicator he called in and said," All units stand down. Return to my location immediately."

"What?" said Biggs.

"You heard me. Stand down and return. We have orders."

There was a pause, then," Ack! Everyon' get back!."

"What's going on John?" asked Vanessa.

"It seems as though we're caught in the middle of some vendetta between The Vigilantes, and a group named Ages Sect. I believe this whole incident was just a big 1-up on our friends from The Vigilantes… But now they've gone and pissed me off as well."

"In that case we need to tell them!" said Vanessa.

Terrance shook his head as he said," We can tell them, but they're in the thick of it. If they stop playing now, the Freakshow will more then likely kill them… However, I will inform them of the situation change.

-----------------------------------------

The Vigilantes got Terrance's message. It did not stop them from playing in the least. A crowd like this was likely to tear them apart if they stopped.

The sound of gunfire got closer and closer. She knew that an army of Longbow was attached to it, along with Ages.

The Freakshow on the other hand did not seem to care. The music was the only thing there for them. All of their eyes were on her, mentally undressing her and imagining vile sexual acts with her.

Thinking about this, she formed an idea. When there was a solo, she said," My Freaks! Do you love me?"

"WE LOVE YOU!" they called back.

"I said do you LOVE ME?!"

"WE LOVE YOU!" they called back even louder.

"I'm lookin' for a dance partner tonight! Who wants to keep me awake all night long?!"

"ME!!" they all cried out.

"I don't want no ordinary Freak! I only want the strongest! Which one of you is the strongest Freak of all?"

"ME!!" they said.

But this time, some began to argue. The small arguments turned into fights. Within seconds, the entire area was a gigantic Freakshow Free-for-all.

"Love me!" she called out.

"AAAAAHHH!!" they called as they fought one another.

The rest of The Vigilantes took it upon themselves to play even faster as the fighting erupted. Steel clashed, and blood flew in all directions.

"Take me! Take me!" she heard Helter say from behind the stage.

Suddenly a giant scythe tore completely through Helter's chest, then slowly moved upward, cutting his torso and head in half. Mistah Static stood behind him grinning like a maniac.

"She's MINE damnit!" he yelled. "She's all MIN-"

Mistah Static was instantly jumped by five more Freakshow, and was amputated by their blade weapons.

Cherry looked out to see Longbow soldiers pour into the room with guns blazing. Right behind them was Quest, with a very smug look on his face.

"Get them! All of them!" he said.

But even then, they did not stop playing. They played fast and furious to match the intense fighting. Quest calmly walked forward, occasionally slashing at a Freakshow who came the way.

He stood in front of them, calmly watching as the fight continued from all sides. He crossed his arms and shook his head at her. Cherry and the others did not let him distract them as they continued.

Within minutes, the Freakshow were almost completely put down. From behind, Longbow officers came and yelled," Cease and desist, in the name of Longbow!"

They ignored them. At that point, there was not Longbow soldiers in the front, pointing their guns at them.

A Longbow officer tore out the wires for the speakers, suddenly silencing the music.

"Get them!" said the officer.

This was not a fight they wanted to start. Cherry psionicaly told the team not to resist.

Kayain and Diana were dropped to the floor by a pair of Officers with Super Strength, and handcuffed. Tylar and Danyel were tackled by another pair of Longbow. Regina put her hands behind her back on her own, and was kicked over anyway.

Cherry stood there, and did not look away from Quest as she gave him a look of deepest loathing. She wanted so much to wipe that smirk off his face.

"Good job all," said Quest. "These dangerous Villains should fit in perfectly in the Zig."

Eva, Phoebe, and Adagio came running up from behind. When they saw the scene, they looked absolutely delighted.

"Get the camera! Quick!" said Eva.

"Right here!" said Adagio as he began to tape. "Oh, this is classic. The trash is being taken out!"

"What's with that look Cherry?" said Phoebe. "It's so unbecoming of you."

"Oh, I think it looks fitting on her," said Eva. "Makes her look like garbage."

The three laughed at this. Kayain became upset and struggled against the Longbow Officers.

"Come over here and say that!" he said as he tried to out power the Warden.

When he couldn't out power him, he turned and sent a bone-shattering kick right into the Warden's groin. The Warden doubled over and cried out in pain, while Kayain made a break right at the four of them.

He dived off the stage, and was stopped in mid-air. He looked around, and saw himself inside a force field barrier. A Longbow Ballista stood behind him, and said," Don't move Villain."

Kayain yelled," Idiot! You've got the wrong guys! We're the good guys you stupid ass!"

"No hero would come to a Freakshow gathering as entertainment. Not something Heroes normally do, sir."

"We're not entertaining! We were-"

"Tell it to the judge! You're all under arrest!"

Longbow surrounded Cherry. One came forward and said," Give yourself up miss. We don't want any trouble from a psion."

Cherry sighed and put her hands up. Sensing this momentary weakness, Eva instantly hit her with a painful mind blast. It was enough to make her cry out and fly backwards.

Danyel, and all the others began to struggle when they saw this. Their struggling was met with brute force. The Longbow around her immediately swarmed her and pinned her to the ground. An Officer came in with handcuffs and an anti-psionic crown.

"Get them out of here!" said the Longbow Ballista.

"Don't struggle!" said Cherry as she regained her breath. "It's what they want you to do!"

With reluctance, the Vigilantes obeyed and did not put up any more fighting. They were all carried off by the Officers. In passing they were taunted and laughed at by the Ages.

Cherry was the last to be moved. Still, she did not break eye contact with Quest. She was taken by the three Ages, and received her own taunting. But when she walked by Quest, she said in Matronian," _Quest. I swear vengeance on you before this mission is complete. You will pay_."

"_I'm looking forward to it, Princess_," he said.


End file.
